COPENHAGEN, Denmark, June 7, 2026
Zealand Pharma A/S announced that its partner Boehringer Ingelheim presented detailed results from the Phase III SYNCHRONIZE-1 and SYNCHRONIZE-MASLD trials of survodutide, an investigational glucagon/GLP-1 dual agonist, demonstrating significant weight loss, targeted reductions in visceral and liver fat, and improvements in metabolic health. The findings were presented at the American Diabetes Association (ADA) Scientific Sessions 2026 and simultaneously published in leading medical journals, reinforcing survodutide’s potential as a differentiated therapy for obesity and obesity-related metabolic disorders.
Significant Reductions in Visceral and Liver Fat
Detailed analyses from the 76-week SYNCHRONIZE-1 study showed that survodutide achieved up to 16.6% average weight loss while delivering targeted reductions in metabolically harmful fat. Participants experienced up to 34% reduction in visceral fat and as much as 63.1% reduction in liver fat compared with baseline. Importantly, lean mass loss accounted for no more than 10.8% of total tissue mass reduction, indicating that the majority of weight loss resulted from fat reduction rather than muscle loss. These findings highlight the therapy’s potential to improve overall metabolic health beyond simple weight reduction.
Positive Outcomes in MASLD Patients
Additional results from the SYNCHRONIZE-MASLD Phase III trial further demonstrated survodutide’s benefits in adults with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) and obesity or overweight. The study met both co-primary endpoints, with up to 84.2% of participants achieving at least a 30% reduction in liver fat content and up to 12.2% body weight reduction after 48 weeks of treatment. Furthermore, approximately 61% of treated patients achieved liver fat normalization, compared with 5.7% in the placebo group. Positive trends were also observed across liver-related biomarkers, suggesting potential benefits in reducing liver inflammation and improving liver health.
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Expanding Phase III Development Program
The positive results strengthen confidence in survodutide’s dual mechanism, combining GLP-1 receptor agonism to reduce appetite and glucagon receptor agonism to target liver fat, metabolic dysfunction, and inflammation. Safety findings were consistent with the GLP-1 class, with gastrointestinal events such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and constipation representing the most common adverse events. No new safety signals were identified. Boehringer Ingelheim plans to further expand the clinical program through additional Phase IIIb studies evaluating women’s health, liver disease progression, cardiac function, and real-world treatment strategies. Survodutide is also being studied in the global LIVERAGE and LIVERAGE-Cirrhosis Phase III programs for patients with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) and liver fibrosis. Zealand Pharma remains eligible for milestone payments and future royalties tied to the program’s commercial success.
Source: Zealand Pharma press release
