Zealand Pharma slides as concerns over patients quitting survodutide trials resurface

Zealand Pharma A/S

01/10/2026 12:16

Oct 1 (Reuters) - Nearly one in five patients quit Zealand Pharma's ZELA.CO late-stage survodutide trial due to gastrointestinal side effects caused by the obesity drug, data released on Thursday showed, again raising investor concerns over the high dropout rates.
The Danish drugmaker's shares slid as much as 13%, mirroring the trend seen in June when data from other late-stage studies on the survodutide injections, developed with partner Boehringer Ingelheim, showed a quarter of patients had left due to side effects, sending the shares up to 25% lower during the day.
Analysts said the high dropout rate was a key concern, with 18% of patients quitting treatment due to side effects
Patients usually dropped out while doses were being increased, as the trial gave doctors limited flexibility to adjust dosing when side effects emerged
Survodutide reduced average blood sugar by up to 1.21 percentage points from a baseline of 7.4%, while improving waist circumference and insulin sensitivity
Zealand Pharma shares were at the bottom of Europe's benchmark STOXX 600 index .STOXX as of 1105 GMT

(Reporting by Vera Dvorakova and Jesus Calero in Gdansk; Editing by Milla Nissi-Prussak)
((vera.dvorakova@thomsonreuters.com))