An experimental once-weekly weight-loss injection could offer benefits beyond helping people slim down, potentially tackling fat stored around internal organs and in the liver. Trials of survodutide have delivered encouraging results, including reductions in visceral fat of up to 34% and liver fat of up to 63.1% in a body-composition analysis.
These types of fat are associated with metabolic health complications, meaning the potential advantages of future weight-loss treatments could stretch well beyond what the scales show. The drug operates differently from established weight-loss injections such as Wegovy and Mounjaro, targeting both glucagon and GLP-1 receptors to affect appetite and metabolic functions.
Phase III trial results
In the Phase III SYNCHRONIZE-1 trial, participants with obesity but without type 2 diabetes shed up to 16.6% of their body weight over 76 weeks in the highest-dose group. A separate body-composition analysis recorded reductions of up to 34% in visceral fat and 63.1% in liver fat.
Visceral fat accumulates around internal organs and is connected to metabolic health risks. Excess fat in the liver is linked to conditions including metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease.
Ruaraidh Buckenham, Senior Governance Pharmacist at Simple Online Pharmacy, stated the results pose intriguing questions about the future generation of weight-loss medicines. He said: "The Phase III data on survodutide are certainly interesting because they suggest the drug may do more than simply reduce the number on the scales.
"The findings around visceral and liver fat are particularly important because these are forms of fat that are closely linked to metabolic health. However, it is important to remember that survodutide is still an investigational medicine and has not been approved for use.
"These are strong Phase III results, but they are not a reason for people to assume that this will necessarily be the next treatment available to them." Researchers have also cautioned the analysis featured a comparatively limited number of trial participants.
How survodutide differs from Mounjaro and Wegovy
Wegovy contains semaglutide, which targets the GLP-1 receptor, while Mounjaro contains tirzepatide, which works on both GIP and GLP-1 receptors. Survodutide adopts a distinct mechanism by merging glucagon receptor and GLP-1 receptor activity.
Scientists anticipate that triggering these two pathways might help decrease weight while also affecting energy expenditure, appetite and fat metabolism. The research has additionally investigated the medication in individuals living with obesity and type 2 diabetes.
In a separate Phase III trial, those taking part shed up to 13.1% of their body weight following 76 weeks, in contrast to 3.1% on a placebo. Those trial findings were published in The New England Journal of Medicine on October 1.
Side effects and expert caution
Nevertheless, adverse effects remain a crucial factor. In the Phase III trial involving individuals with type 2 diabetes, 18% of those taking survodutide stopped treatment due to gastrointestinal side effects, compared with 1.2% in the placebo group.
Buckenham said: "As with other medicines in this area, tolerability is an important part of the picture. The headline weight-loss figure is only one measure of whether a treatment is useful in the real world.
"We need to look at the full data, including side effects, trial length - in this case a full 76 weeks -, who the treatment is suitable for, how many people are able to stay on treatment and whether the improvements in metabolic health translate into meaningful long-term health benefits."
He further cautioned that survodutide hasn't yet received approval for use as a weight-loss treatment. Individuals currently on weight-loss medication shouldn't alter or cease their treatment based on these findings.
