Sincalide

How it works

CCK-8, the active tail of cholecystokinin, the hormone that empties the gallbladder. Injected during a scan to measure the squeeze.

What it's made of

The last 8 amino acids of cholecystokinin (CCK), the gut hormone that tells the gallbladder to empty after eating. It is made synthetically.

What it's for

Prescribed for

Nothing as a treatment: it is for diagnosis. It contracts the gallbladder, stimulates the pancreas or speeds barium through the gut during an imaging test.