As next-generation contenders in the obesity treatment space communicate plans to speed up their drug programs, Zealand Pharma appears to have gotten the memo.
The Danish biotech is raising its expected expenses for 2024 and investing “significantly” to “accelerate the development” of its pipeline of obesity assets, CEO Adam Steensberg said in its second-quarter update. A trio of its obesity candidates is expected to enter late-stage trials later this year or early next year.
Its comments follow similar suggestions from companies seeking to catch up with — or even leapfrog — Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly in the weight loss race. Roche and Viking have both discussed intentions to get through clinical testing and thus reach the market faster, while AstraZeneca has hinted at a “very ambitious” strategy and Amgen has doubled down on manufacturing.
For its part, Zealand is advancing a trifecta of approaches to build its portfolio. Petrelintide, an amylin analog, will enter Phase 2b for people with overweight and obesity in the second half of this year. When Zealand raised $1 billion in June, Steensberg called petrelintide the “crown jewel” of the portfolio and a potential “new backbone in obesity management.”
During that time, the company expects to report initial Phase 1b data on dapiglutide, a GLP-1/GLP-2 receptor dual agonist. Based on data to-date, it has also added a new cohort testing even higher doses, with a Phase 2b trial planned in the first half of 2025.
Then there’s survodutide, a glucagon/GLP-1 receptor dual agonist partnered with Boehringer Ingelheim. The pharma partner has already launched a Phase 3 in obesity and, having recently revealed positive Phase 2 data in MASH, is looking to start a Phase 3 in the liver condition later this year as well.
As for the two rare disease programs slated for FDA decisions by the end of 2024, Zealand reiterated that it’s “engaging in partnership discussions for future commercialization.”