Survodutide reduces weight in adults with diabetes and obesity

Weekly survodutide cut body weight by up to 9.8% at 76 weeks compared to a 3.9% reduction with placebo.

The New England Journal of Medicine4 Oct 2026, 07:39 BST

In a phase 3 trial involving 752 adults with type 2 diabetes and a body-mass index of 27 or higher, weekly survodutide significantly reduced body weight over 76 weeks. Participants received once-weekly subcutaneous injections of survodutide at 3.6 mg, survodutide at 6.0 mg, or placebo. Mean body weight fell by 8.2% in the 3.6-mg group and 9.8% in the 6.0-mg group, compared to 3.9% in the placebo group. A weight reduction of at least 5% occurred in 57.6% of participants on 3.6 mg and 64.5% on 6.0 mg versus 35.1% on placebo. Glycated hemoglobin levels also decreased by 0.9 and 0.8 percentage points in the treatment groups, against 0.2 percentage points with placebo.

Why it matters

Obesity and type 2 diabetes are major drivers of cardiometabolic dysfunction and accelerated biological aging. Dual glucagon and GLP-1 receptor agonism provides a targeted metabolic approach to simultaneously improve glycemic control and reduce adiposity.

Caveats

Gastrointestinal adverse events were common, affecting up to 77.7% of participants on survodutide compared to 38.6% on placebo. The trial evaluated outcomes through 76 weeks in a population limited to adults with type 2 diabetes and high body-mass index.