Boehringer-Zealand drug leads to 16.6% weight loss in late-stage trial

The Phase III trial showed patients treated with survodutide lost 16.6% of their ‌body weight after 76 weeks, compared with 3.2% in a ‌placebo group, Boehringer said in a statement. Participants were obese or overweight adults without type 2 diabetes.

Boehringer Ingelheim said on Tuesday ​its experimental obesity drug ​led to average weight ‌loss of ​up to 16.6% in a late-stage trial, as the unlisted German drugmaker seeks to ‌catch up with obesity drug pioneers Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk. The Phase III trial showed patients treated with survodutide lost 16.6% of their ‌body weight after 76 weeks, compared with 3.2% in a ‌placebo group, Boehringer said in a statement.

Participants were obese or overweight adults without type 2 diabetes. Boehringer acquired the rights in 2011 to solely develop and commercialise ⁠survodutide ​from Denmark's ⁠Zealand Pharma, which is entitled to royalty payments on global revenue.

Full results from the ⁠Phase III study, called SYNCHRONIZE-1, will be presented at the American Diabetes ​Association's 2026 Scientific Sessions, scheduled from June 5 to June ⁠8. Survodutide mimics the appetite-suppressing gut hormone GLP-1, targeted by injectable drugs such as ⁠Novo's ​Wegovy, but also imitates the gut hormone glucagon, a combination some developers hope will boost weight loss.

Altimmune is developing a ⁠drug based on the effects of the same two hormones. In early 2024, ⁠survodutide delivered ⁠promising mid-stage results in the treatment of fatty liver, also known as metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis, or MASH.