The present invention is directed to the development of novel exendin-4 derivatives exhibiting advantageous glucose-regulatory properties, and to methods of producing these derivatives, including recombinant methods in which these derivatives are produced by cleavage of a fusion protein containing multiple copies of the exendin-4 derivative peptide. The methods of the present invention can be used to simplify the process of producing the disclosed exendin-4 derivatives, thereby lowering the cost of their production.