By Bhanvi Satija
LONDON, June 7 (Reuters) – Boehringer Ingelheim said on Sunday its experimental obesity drug cut visceral and liver fat while minimizing loss of lean mass in a late-stage study, data showed, bolstering its case for benefits beyond weight loss as competition in obesity drugs intensifies.
The drug, survodutide, was licensed from Denmark’s Zealand Pharma. An injectable that mimics the proteins GLP-1 and glucagon to create a feeling of fullness, its weight-loss trial results were announced in April, showing patients lost an average of 16.6% over 76 weeks.
Analysis of a group of patients who had MRI measurements at the start and end of a 76-week trial showed that survodutide reduced harmful abdominal fat by up to 34% and liver fat by up to 63.1% from the baseline, Boehringer said.
Analysts have said the weight-loss numbers were broadly comparable to existing GLP-1 injections from Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly and below newer rivals in development, and that the company needed to differentiate the drug’s benefits.
Lean mass accounted for no more than 10.8% of the change in body composition at the highest dose of 6 milligrams, suggesting the weight loss was driven mainly by fat reduction.
The drug’s effect on liver-fat reduction and preservation of lean mass are central to whether it will be able to stand out commercially, alongside tolerability and how long patients stay on the drug. Detailed data from the study could help Boehringer make a stronger case that survodutide should be judged not only by pounds lost but by where weight is lost.
“We believe survodutide will become an important new option at the intersection of obesity and liver disease, two conditions that are deeply connected but rarely addressed together,” said Boehringer executive Shashank Deshpande, who leads the company’s human medicines business.
Boehringer acquired the rights in 2011 to solely develop and commercialise survodutide from Zealand, which is entitled to royalty payments on global revenue.
PATIENTS WITH LIVER DISEASE BENEFIT
In a separate late-stage study of overweight or obese patients with a fatty liver disease called MASLD, survodutide met both its main goals.
After 48 weeks, up to 84.2% of patients on the drug showed a liver fat reduction of at least 30%, compared with 24.3% for those on placebo. Patients on survodutide also lost up to 12.2% of their body weight, versus 1% for placebo.
In 61% of the patients the drug helped achieve liver fat normalization, or a liver fat content below 5%, compared with 5.7% on placebo.
U.S. biotech Altimmune is also developing a drug that targets both the appetite-suppressing gut hormone, GLP-1, and glucagon.
Survodutide is also being tested in other late-stage studies, including for patients with fatty liver disease and fibrosis.
(Reporting by Bhanvi Satija; editing by Caroline Humer and Sanjeev Miglani)
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