Danish biotechnology company Zealand Pharma is aiming to develop the "next generation" of weight loss drugs, challenging the dominance of major players Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly in the weight management market. Early trials show that Zealand Pharma's experimental injectable offers higher quality weight loss, with reduced muscle loss and fewer side effects compared to traditional GLP-1 receptor agonist treatments.
CEO Adam Steensberg stated the company is seeking a global pharmaceutical partner to advance their efforts. He emphasized that their focus is on developing new molecular drugs that are not based on GLP-1 receptor agonists, targeting the needs of the 2030s.
Last month, Zealand Pharma announced positive results from the Phase 1b trial of their GLP-1/GLP-2 receptor dual agonist, Dapiglutide. This positions Zealand Pharma to directly compete with existing market leaders Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly, whose GLP-1s, Wegovy and Zepbound, are popular weight loss treatments.