Roche and Zealand obesity drug cuts body weight up to 9.2%

Roche and partner Zealand Pharma announced topline results from the Phase 2b ZUPREME-2 clinical trial evaluating petrelintide on October 7, 2026. The amylin analog helped patients lose up to 9.2% of body weight after 28 weeks of maintenance therapy in people living with overweight or obesity and type 2 diabetes.

The study enrolled 220 participants with a mean baseline body mass index of 36.3 kg/m² and an average baseline glycated hemoglobin of 8.0%. Patients received one of three petrelintide treatment doses across an escalation period lasting up to 16 weeks with 4-week dose intervals, followed by 28 weeks of maintenance and a total follow-up duration of 38 weeks.

Mean weight loss across the petrelintide groups ranged from 7.4% to 9.2%, compared to 2.0% in the placebo group, delivering a peak placebo-adjusted weight reduction of 7.2 percentage points. The drug also reduced glycated hemoglobin by up to 0.65 percentage points, while the placebo group saw an increase of 0.23 percentage points, yielding placebo-adjusted reductions between 0.61 and 0.88 percentage points across arms.

Tolerability remained consistent with previous data, as treatment discontinuations due to gastrointestinal adverse events were 1.9% on petrelintide compared to 1.7% on placebo. Roche previously paid Zealand Pharma an upfront deal payment of 1.65 billion dollars in 2025 to partner on petrelintide, and the companies plan to enroll 7,000 participants in upcoming Phase 3a clinical trials.