Boehringer Ingelheim’s (BI’s) weight loss jab has shown similar efficacy to Wegovy (semaglutide) but a strength inferior to Zebound (tirzepatide).
The Phase III SYNCHRONIZE-1 trial (NCT06066515) of survodutide met both its co-primary endpoints. In the first endpoint, adults living with obesity or overweight, without type 2 diabetes, who were treated with survodutide, experienced sustained weight loss of up to an average of 16.6% after 76 weeks versus 3.2% in the placebo arm.
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The trial met its other co-primary endpoint, with up to 85.1% of adults treated with survodutide achieving a body weight reduction of ≥5% after 76 weeks of treatment compared to 38.8% in the placebo arm.
This level of weight loss supports survodutide’s potential as a clinically meaningful treatment option for people living with obesity or overweight. The analysis also suggested that weight loss was driven predominantly by loss of fat tissue, with lean mass contributing only a small proportion of total weight.
In a key secondary endpoint, adults treated with survodutide experienced a statistically significant reduction in waist circumference – a clinical marker closely linked to visceral fat and cardiometabolic risk – after 76 weeks versus placebo. Excess visceral fat, particularly around the abdomen, is a known contributor to metabolic dysfunction and is closely connected to impaired liver function. As a dual glucagon/GLP‑1 receptor agonist, survodutide has the potential to address obesity while also supporting liver function, a key regulator of metabolic health.
Full data from the Phase III trial will be presented at the upcoming American Diabetes Association’s (ADA) 2026 Scientific Sessions in June.
Dr Professor Carel le Roux, professor at University College in Dublin, Ireland, and global coordinating investigator of the trial, said: “I am encouraged by the data emerging from SYNCHRONIZE-1, which continues to demonstrate survodutide’s potential as a clinically meaningful treatment option for people with the disease of obesity. There is an urgent need for new therapies that go beyond weight reduction alone to support meaningful improvements in metabolic health. Survodutide’s dual agonism is particularly exciting, as it offers a promising approach to addressing this significant unmet need in care.”
The drugs have not been investigated in a head-to-head trial; however, in a Phase III trial (NCT03548935), Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy led to 12.4% placebo-adjusted weight loss after 68 weeks in a similar patient population. Meanwhile, Eli Lilly’s Zepbound was linked to a 17.8% placebo-adjusted weight loss at week 72 in a Phase III trial (NCT04184622), proving stronger than BI’s data.
Survodutide is the most advanced weight loss drug in BI’s broader portfolio of obesity therapies, with multiple approaches under investigation. This includes an investigational, potential first-in-class triple GLP-1, GIP, NPY2 receptor agonist peptide, BI 3034701, which will be entering Phase II in the middle of 2026, as well as additional experimental approaches, including oral treatment options.
GlobalData, parent company of Clinical Trials Arena, predicts global GLP-1RA sales for obesity are set to grow from $76bn in 2025 to $161.9bn in 2031.
