Danish Pharma Zealand Pharma's Survodutide Shows Promise in Phase II Trials as a Next-Gen Obesity Treatment

　　【Pharmaceutical Network Market Analysis】The market demand for weight-loss drugs is vast, with data predicting that by 2035, over 4 billion people worldwide will be overweight or obese. By 2030, the market size for obesity drugs is expected to exceed $54 billion. Facing this enormous market, global pharmaceutical companies are actively positioning themselves in the blue ocean of weight-loss medications.
 

For example, Novo Nordisk's重磅药物司美格鲁肽(Wegovy) for the treatment of general obesity was approved by the FDA in 2021, and 礼来's 替尔泊肽药物(Zepbound) was approved by the FDA in November 2023.
 

The approval of the above-mentioned blockbuster drugs has also driven the rapid growth of the company's performance. According to Novo Nordisk's 2023 earnings report, the sales of its "weight loss drug" Wegovy reached 31.343 billion Danish kroner in 2023, a year-on-year increase of 407%. According to Eli Lilly's 2023 financial report, the company’s annual revenue achieved a growth rate of 20%, reaching 34.124 billion US dollars. The "weight loss drug" GLP-1 tirzepatide became the key driver of performance. After the weight loss indication of this drug was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in November 2023, it contributed 176 million US dollars in performance within just over a month.
 

It is reported that recently, several overseas pharmaceutical companies have entered the weight-loss drug market. For instance, Amgen has disclosed a Phase 1 study on the weight-loss drug AMG 133. AMG 133 belongs to the same GLP-1 class of drugs as the currently popular weight-loss drugs semaglutide (Novo Nordisk) and tirzepatide (Eli Lilly). This Phase 1 trial represents the first study of AMG 133 in China targeting the Chinese population.
 

In addition, the phase II trial of survodutide, a drug developed by Danish pharmaceutical company Zealand Pharma, has been successful. Relevant sources indicate that the drug is expected to be launched between 2027 and 2028. According to available information, survodutide is a dual agonist that can simultaneously activate GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1) and glucagon receptors, playing a significant role in metabolic function regulation.
 

Trial results show that up to 83% of adult participants responded positively to the drug's treatment for metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH), compared with only 18.2% improvement in the comparable group receiving a placebo. Relevant sources indicate that the unique feature of the drug survodutide lies in its potential to become the first anti-obesity medication that reduces appetite, increases energy expenditure, and directly impacts the liver. In other words, survodutide has demonstrated promising therapeutic efficacy in the field of weight loss and is likely to become the next blockbuster weight-loss drug.
 

Currently, survodutide has been granted Fast Track designation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and is undergoing five Phase III clinical trials targeting overweight or obese populations, with dosages potentially higher than the maximum Phase II dose of 6.0mg.
 

Industry experts point out that among overweight and obese populations, the common complication is fatty liver, with an incidence rate reaching over 70%. Therefore, it seems to have become a consensus across the industry that obese individuals are more prone to developing fatty liver disease. It is reported that Novo Nordisk is also conducting phase three trials on semaglutide, the active ingredient in its Wegovy weight-loss injection, targeting MASH hepatitis. Additionally, the weight-loss drug Mounjaro (also known as Zepbound) launched by Eli Lilly is being tested in phase two trials for MASH hepatitis, evaluating the drug's active ingredient.
 

Moreover, regarding the explosive popularity of weight-loss drugs, some analysts have pointed out that it not only demonstrates the revenue contribution potential of blockbuster products but also is expected to bring a new wave of market attention to related companies in China. It is reported that in the Chinese market, many pharmaceutical companies have recently announced updates on weight-loss drugs. For instance, on February 6, Tonghua Dongbao announced that its wholly-owned subsidiary, Dongbao Zixing (Hangzhou) Biopharmaceutical Co., Ltd., received the acceptance notice for the clinical trial application of THDBH120 injection for weight loss indications from the Center for Drug Evaluation (CDE) under the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA). On the same day, Hengrui Medicine announced that its subsidiary obtained the approval notice for clinical trials of HRS-7535 tablets, allowing the initiation of Phase II clinical trials for weight loss indications.
 

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