Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Zealand Pharma and Boehringer Ingelheim's weight-loss drug meets goals in mid-stage trial

Denmark's Zealand Pharma and Boehringer Ingelheim said their experimental obesity treatment achieved up to 14.9% weight loss in a mid-stage trial, lining up a potential contestant in the booming obesity drug market.

In a statement on Wednesday (May 10), the partners said that the Phase II dose-finding trial met its primary endpoint of weight loss after 46 weeks.


Paola Casarosa, head of therapeutic areas at Germany's Boehringer Ingelheim told Reuters the partners are in discussion with regulators about the design of a planned follow-up trial in the third and last phase of testing.

The enormous demand for weight-loss treatments such as Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy, or potentially Eli Lilly's Mounjaro, could support as many as 10 competing products with annual sales reaching up to $100 billion within a decade, mostly in the United States, industry executives and analysts said.

Lilly said about a year ago that Mounjaro was shown to reduce up to 22.5% in weight after 72 weeks of treatment in a much larger late-stage trial.

Before that, a late-stage trial showed that Novo’s Wegovy helped patients obtain a weight loss of about 15-17% over 68 weeks, depending on patient subgroups in the study.

Casarosa said the results could not be directly compared because of differences in trial design and size, reflecting an established view in the academic world.

Zealand shares, however, fell 2.9% at 0937 GMT after jumping as much as 3.3% after the open on concerns among some investors and analysts about the differences and that the drug may command a smaller niche than rivals.

UBS analyst Michael Leuchten noted the initial weight-loss readout was below that of Mounjaro and Phase II trials of another Novo drug candidate called CagriSema, but said a lower price could pave the way into a profitable market segment.

"The obesity market will always come with affordability questions that will split the market into different pockets," said Leuchten.

Gareth Powell, head of healthcare at Zealand shareholder Polar Capital, said participants that were not yet up to the planned maintenance dose could be included in the overall tally, potentially heralding a better weight-loss percentage.

"This is likely the third drug to reach the market for obesity after Lilly and Novo Nordisk," said Powell.

REGULATING APPETITE

The drug, called BI 456906, not only mimics a gut hormone called glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) which suppresses appetite as do other injectable treatments, but it also imitates another gut hormone called glucagon.

"What we see, and what excites us, is on one hand the weight loss that is consistent with our expectations," said Casarosa.

"But what's more, we see obesity also as a key risk factor in driving many comorbidities in the cardiometabolic space."

Among the drug's targeted effects, the glucagon-based mode of action should help burn more fat when exercising and prevent the harmful build-up of fat in the liver, she said.

Its side effects were "consistent" with what was seen in other injectable GLP-1-based drugs, she said.

An experimental drug by Altimmune with the same dual action as Zealand's helped reduce weight by over 10% in a mid-stage trial, data in March showed, but safety concerns sent its shares tumbling.

Almost 400 participants in the Zealand trial - overweight or obese but not diabetic - were put into five equally large groups by chance, with four getting different doses of the experimental weekly shot and the fifth getting a placebo.

More For You

Cargo plane unloading pharmaceuticals at US airport amid tariff concerns and stockpiling

Imports jumped in particular from Ireland, the top drug exporter to the US

Pic credit: iStock

Pharma imports to US surged in March as drugmakers look to avoid tariffs

Pharmaceutical imports to the US surged in March as drugmakers stocked up ahead of potential US tariffs on their products, which have historically been exempt from such fees.

Total imports of pharmaceutical products exceeded $50 billion in the month - the equivalent of 20 per cent of all pharmaceutical imports in 2024, according to data from a U.S. Commerce Department report on Tuesday.

Keep ReadingShow less
Scottish community pharmacist working in high street pharmacy with supportive environment

The PDA wants investment to reach those who deliver services to patients every day

Pic credit: iStock

Funding boost in Scotland “needs to work for not just pharmacy owners but pharmacists too”, says PDA

An increase in funding for community pharmacies in Scotland needs to lead to a greater focus on supporting pharmacists rather than “simply sustain business models”, according to the Pharmacy Defence Association (PDA).

Earlier this week, Community Pharmacy Scotland (CPS) accepted the Scottish government’s initial financial offer for the 2025/26 fiscal year, securing a guaranteed minimum reimbursement of £120 million for community pharmacies — up from £110 million from 2024/25.

Keep ReadingShow less
GP surgery upgrades for annual appointments

The surgeries will have additional space to “see more patients, boost productivity and improve patient care”

Pic credit: iStock

GP surgery upgrades to create 8.3 million more annual appointments

Over 1,000 GP surgeries will have their premises modernised to meet the needs of a further 8.3 million appointments each year, the government has announced.

Backed by a cash injection of over £102 million, the surgeries will have additional space to “see more patients, boost productivity and improve patient care”.

Keep ReadingShow less
Wales boosts funding for pharmacy-led UTI and sore throat test services

The sore throat test (STTT) and treat service will be widely available

Pic credit: istock

Welsh pharmacies receive funding boost for clinical services

Two key clinical services will be available in 99 per cent of community pharmacies across Wales after a boost in funding.

The sore throat test (STTT) and treat service and the urinary tract infection (UTI) service have both benefitted from contractual negotiations between the Welsh Government and Community Pharmacy Wales (CPW).

Keep ReadingShow less
Paul Bennett
Paul Bennett, CEO, Royal Pharmaceutical Society
Paul Bennett, CEO, Royal Pharmaceutical Society

Pharmacists need to take advantage of independent prescribing pathways, says Bennett

Independent prescribing will be a “significant point” in the history of community pharmacy, according to Royal Pharmaceutical Society chief executive Paul Bennett.

Last month, the RPS announced the launch of a comprehensive new prescribing development programme to support pharmacists across all stages of their prescribing careers.

Keep ReadingShow less