The logo of German pharmaceutical company Boehringer Ingelheim is seen at its building in Shanghai, China February 1, 2019.
REUTERS/Stringer/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsAug 17 (Reuters) - Germany's Boehringer Ingelheim said on Thursday it would conduct three late-stage studies for its obesity drug candidate after it showed up to 19% weight loss after 46 weeks in a mid-stage trial.
The private company plans to start enrollments for the trial of the drug, survodutide, which it co-invented with Danish biotech company Zealand Pharma (ZELA.CO), before the end of the year.
Boehringer and Zealand are among global drugmakers racing to grab a share of the potential $100 billion market for obesity treatments within a decade.
Survodutide works by mimicing a gut hormone called glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), which suppresses appetite, as well as imitating another gut hormone called glucagon that helps break down fat.
Persons:
Stringer, Boehringer Ingelheim, Boehringer, NASH, Leroy Leo, Sriraj
Organizations:
REUTERS, Zealand Pharma, Thomson
Locations:
Shanghai, China, Zealand, Bengaluru