Zealand Pharma reports positive Phase 2 results for obesity drug petrelintide

Zealand Pharma announced that its experimental drug, petrelintide, met the primary endpoint in a Phase 2 ZUPREME-2 study involving 220 adults with overweight or obesity and type 2 diabetes. Over 28 weeks, patients receiving once-weekly doses of petrelintide experienced weight loss ranging from 7.4% to 9.2%, compared to a 2.0% loss in the placebo group.

The trial also showed improvements in blood sugar control. The greatest HbA1c decline reported was 0.65 percentage points, while the placebo group saw an increase of 0.23 points. Participants in the study utilized metformin, with or without an SGLT2 inhibitor, alongside diet and exercise.

Regarding safety, gastrointestinal adverse events led 1.9% of petrelintide recipients to discontinue treatment, compared to 1.7% of those on placebo. Zealand Pharma stated that most gastrointestinal events were mild and typically occurred during dose increases, reporting no unexpected safety signals.

Zealand Pharma, a Danish biotechnology company, is developing the amylin-mimicking therapy in collaboration with Roche. The two companies have already transitioned to late-stage testing involving approximately 7,000 participants, including individuals with and without type 2 diabetes and those with established cardiovascular disease.