LONDON — A drug in development as a weight loss treatment succeeded in a Phase 2 study in a serious liver condition, its developers said Monday, as the competition in the broader obesity medicine field pushes ahead.
The drug, survodutide, is being developed by the privately held German firm Boehringer Ingelheim and the Danish biotech Zealand Pharma. Zealand’s share price has doubled over the past year over the potential of the drug, and on Monday morning, shares jumped another 25%.
In the study, 83% of patients with a condition called MASH and who were treated with survodutide saw significant improvements in their disease compared to 18% of those who received placebo. The study met its primary endpoint of improvements in MASH after 48 weeks without the worsening of fibrosis, a scarring of the liver, the companies said. Secondary endpoints were also met, including an improvement in fibrosis.