Survodutide Shows Fat Mass Loss, Liver Fat Reductions in Patients With Obesity Without T2D

Survodutide, Boehringer Ingelheim’s investigative glucagon/GLP-1 receptor dual agonist, has demonstrated substantial weight loss and improved metabolic health in patients with obesity or overweight without type 2 diabetes (T2D).1

These data were presented at the American Diabetes Association (ADA) Scientific Sessions 2026 in New Orleans, Louisiana, by Carel le Roux, PhD, director of the Metabolic Medicine Group at the University College Dublin School of Medicine and a global coordinating investigator of the study. In an exclusive interview with HCPLive, Le Roux discusses the implications of these data for survodutide’s investigative future – as well as the patient population it aims to serve.

“When we have a new class of medication, we need to work out where the health benefits lie,” Le Roux told HCPLive in an exclusive interview. “What we saw with binding both the GLP-1 receptor and the glucagon receptor was that you have weight loss independent benefits. We’ve known for some time that, with GLP-1s, you have weight loss independent benefits, such as on glycemia or even inflammation – what we see by binding the glucagon receptor is that you also have potential benefits on the liver through reversal of fibrosis.”

SYNCHRONIZE-1 was a phase 3, randomized, double-blind, parallel-group efficacy and safety study comparing survodutide to placebo in patients with overweight or obesity without T2D. The trial ran for 76 weeks across 118 locations worldwide. Patients were eligible for inclusion if they had a body mass index (BMI) ≥30 kg/m2 at screening, or a BMI ≥27 kg/m2 with ≥1 from among hypertension, dyslipidemia, and obstructive sleep apnea. Additionally, patients were required to have ≥1 self-reported unsuccessful dietary effort to lose weight.2

Patients with a self-reported body weight change of >5% within 3 months of screening or who were receiving medication for the indication of obesity within the same time frame were excluded. Additionally, those with a history of type 1 diabetes mellitus or T2D mellitus, heart failure with New York Heart Association (NYHA) class IV, or a history of either chronic or acute pancreatitis, among other criteria, were excluded.2

Included patients were randomly assigned to receive either survodutide 3.6 mg, 6.0 mg, or placebo, all of which would be delivered via a once-weekly subcutaneous injection. The trial’s primary outcomes were the percentage change in body weight from baseline and the achievement of body weight reduction ≥5% from baseline. Secondary endpoints included the achievement of body weight reduction ≥10%, ≥15%, and ≥20% from baseline, as well as absolute changes in body weight, waist circumference, and systolic blood pressure.2

Of the 725 patients enrolled in the trial, roughly 85.1% receiving survodutide achieved a body weight reduction of ≥5% compared to 38.8% in the placebo arm. This weight loss was driven mostly by the loss of fat tissue. Additionally, patients receiving survodutide saw an average of ≤16.6% sustained weight loss, compared to 3.2% in the placebo arm (P <.0001).1,3

Le Roux also presented a sub-study of the trial, which investigated patients’ fat loss via MRI measurements at baseline and the end of the study. This sub study demonstrated a relative reduction of up ≤34% visceral fat, with lean mass accounting for no more than 10.8% of change in total tissue mass at the highest dose. Additionally, these data highlighted that adults treated with survodutide had a liver fat reduction of ≤63.1%, indicating potential further improvement in metabolic health.1

“We saw improvements in body weight, in metabolic health, and in liver health specifically, but does this translate to patients living longer?” Le Roux said. “Can we actually show that putting this together can actually allow patients to have lower risk of major adverse cardiovascular events? Those studies are now ongoing – we need to show that it’s safe, but we also need to be able to show that we can benefit our patients.”

Editors’ Note: Le Roux reports disclosures with Novo Nordisk, Eli Lilly, Amgen, Boehringer Ingelheim, Pfizer, AstraZeneca, and others.

References

1. Le Roux C, et al. Efficacy and Safety of Survodutide for the Treatment of Obesity in People without Diabetes: Results from SYNCHRONIZE-1. Abstract presented at the American Diabetes Association (ADA) Scientific Sessions 2026, New Orleans, LA. June 5-8, 2026.

2. Boehringer Ingelheim. A Study to Test Whether Survodutide (BI 456906) Helps People Living With Overweight or Obesity Who do Not Have Diabetes to Lose Weight (SYNCHRONIZE-1). ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT06066515. Updated March 12, 2026. Accessed June 7, 2026. https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT06066515

3. Boehringer Ingelheim. Boehringer Ingelheim’s novel glucagon/GLP-1 dual agonist survodutide achieved significant weight loss of 16.6% delivering meaningful metabolic improvement in people with obesity or overweight in Phase III trial. April 28, 2026. Accessed June 7, 2026. https://www.boehringer-ingelheim.com/us/human-health/metabolic-diseases/results-phase-iii-synchronize-1-obesity-trial