Survodutide is an investigational once-weekly dual agonist at two receptors — glucagon and GLP-1 — developed by Boehringer Ingelheim and Zealand Pharma (BI 456906). Two Phase 3 trials reported in June 2026 moved it from earlier-phase signal to late-stage evidence: the full results of SYNCHRONIZE-1 and SYNCHRONIZE-MASLD were presented at the American Diabetes Association 2026 Scientific Sessions and published simultaneously in the New England Journal of Medicine [1][2][5].
It is not licensed in the UK. Survodutide has not been filed for approval with the MHRA or any other regulator, and UK availability — first privately, then through the NHS — is not expected before 2027 or 2028 [2]. Under the Medicines Act 1968 and the Human Medicines Regulations 2012 it is not a medicine that may lawfully be supplied to patients in the UK.
SYNCHRONIZE-1: weight loss at 76 weeks
SYNCHRONIZE-1 randomised 725 adults with a BMI of 30 or above, or 27 or above with at least one obesity-related complication, and without type 2 diabetes, across 116 sites in 14 countries [3][5][6]. Participants received once-weekly subcutaneous survodutide titrated to 3.6 mg or 6.0 mg, or placebo, alongside reduced-calorie diet and activity counselling.
On the efficacy estimand, mean weight loss reached up to 16.6% at 76 weeks at the 6.0 mg dose, against 3.2% on placebo (p<0.0001) [2][5]. On the treatment-regimen estimand the reported mean change was around 12.2% to 13.0% [5]. The investigators reported that the weight reduction was driven predominantly by loss of fat tissue [3].
An MRI substudy reported organ-selective effects: liver fat fell by up to 63.1% and visceral fat by up to 34.0% at the 6.0 mg dose, with lean volume declining by 9.8% [5]. The sponsor described the lean-mass change as no more than 11.3% of the change in total tissue mass at the highest dose [2].
SYNCHRONIZE-MASLD: liver fat at 48 weeks
SYNCHRONIZE-MASLD randomised adults with overweight or obesity and at-risk metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) to 6.0 mg survodutide or placebo for 48 weeks [5]. 84.2% of participants on survodutide achieved at least a 30% relative reduction in liver fat, and 61.0% normalised liver fat below 5% — thresholds the investigators linked to MASH and fibrosis improvement [5].
Tolerability
The safety profile was consistent with the GLP-1 receptor agonist class. Gastrointestinal adverse events — chiefly nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea and constipation — were more frequent than with placebo and clustered during dose escalation. In SYNCHRONIZE-1, GI events led to treatment discontinuation in 17.8% of the 3.6 mg group and 20.2% of the 6.0 mg group, against 2.9% on placebo [5].
SYNCHRONIZE-2 and the wider programme
A separate Phase 3 trial reported in October 2026, SYNCHRONIZE-2, tested survodutide in adults with obesity and type 2 diabetes across 143 sites. It reported weight loss of up to 13.1% alongside improvements in glycaemic control [7][8]. Further trials — SYNCHRONIZE-CVOT, LIVERAGE and LIVERAGE-Cirrhosis — are ongoing [1].
What the evidence does and does not show
The SYNCHRONIZE-1 and SYNCHRONIZE-MASLD data are randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase 3 trials — the strongest trial design — but neither has been through regulatory review and neither has UK marketing authorisation. The headline 16.6% weight-loss figure sits below the licensed comparator tirzepatide in SURMOUNT-1 and below the higher 7.2 mg semaglutide dose in STEP UP [2]. The liver-fat endpoints are imaging endpoints, not clinical outcomes. Survodutide remains a research compound in a clinical development programme; this is research context only, nothing here is guidance for personal use, and this site does not provide dosing or administration information.
This article is AI-researched and editorially reviewed. It is provided for research and educational purposes only and is not medical advice. Research peptides are not licensed for human consumption in the UK.