Boehringer Ingelberg announced Sunday that its investigational weight loss medication demonstrated effectiveness in reducing dangerous abdominal and liver fat while better preserving muscle mass during advanced clinical testing, as pharmaceutical companies compete in the expanding obesity treatment market.
The experimental medication, called survodutide, was obtained through licensing from Denmark’s Zealand Pharma. This injectable treatment works by copying GLP-1 and glucagon proteins to produce satiety sensations. Earlier results from April revealed patients achieved average weight reduction of 16.6% during a 76-week treatment period.
Examination of trial participants who underwent MRI scans before and after the 76-week study period revealed survodutide decreased dangerous belly fat by as much as 34% and liver fat by up to 63.1% compared to starting measurements, according to Boehringer’s announcement.
Industry experts noted the weight reduction figures were similar to current GLP-1 treatments from Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly, though lower than some competing drugs under development, indicating the company must highlight the medication’s unique advantages.
Muscle tissue represented only 10.8% of body composition changes at the maximum 6-milligram dosage, indicating weight reduction primarily came from fat loss rather than muscle deterioration.
The medication’s impact on liver fat elimination and muscle preservation will determine its commercial success, along with patient tolerance and treatment adherence rates. Complete study findings may help Boehringer argue that survodutide should be evaluated based on fat distribution changes, not just total weight loss.
“We believe survodutide will become an important new option at the intersection of obesity and liver disease, two conditions that are deeply connected but rarely addressed together,” said Boehringer executive Shashank Deshpande, who leads the company’s human medicines business.
Boehringer obtained exclusive development and marketing rights for survodutide from Zealand in 2011, with Zealand receiving royalty payments from worldwide sales.
During separate advanced testing involving overweight or obese patients with fatty liver disease known as MASLD, survodutide achieved both primary objectives.
Following 48 weeks of treatment, up to 84.2% of patients receiving the drug experienced liver fat reduction of at least 30%, compared to 24.3% of those receiving placebo. Patients taking survodutide also achieved weight loss of up to 12.2%, versus 1% for placebo recipients.
The medication helped 61% of patients reach normal liver fat levels below 5%, compared to 5.7% of placebo patients.
U.S. biotech company Altimmune is similarly developing a treatment targeting both GLP-1 appetite suppression and glucagon hormones.
Additional advanced studies are ongoing for survodutide, including trials for patients with fatty liver disease and fibrosis.
