The US-based trial enrolled 220 participants with a mean baseline BMI of 36.3 kg/m² and mean HbA1c of 8.0%. All three once-weekly dose arms met the primary endpoint, with mean weight loss ranging from 7.4% to 9.2%. Petrelintide also lowered HbA1c, with placebo-adjusted reductions of 0.61–0.88 percentage points.

Tolerability was largely comparable to placebo: 1.9% of petrelintide-treated participants stopped treatment due to gastrointestinal side effects, versus 1.7% on placebo. Most adverse events were mild and occurred during dose escalation. Full results will be presented at an upcoming scientific conference.

Zealand and partner Roche have started a Phase 3a program of three trials, ZUPREME-3, -4 and -5, expected to enroll about 7,000 participants in total.

“These results further support the potential of petrelintide in chronic weight management and, for the first time, demonstrate its promise as a standalone treatment for those living with overweight or obesity and type 2 diabetes,” says David Kendall, Chief Medical Officer at Zealand Pharma.