Zealand Pharma slides as concerns over patients quitting survodutide trials resurface

Oct 1 — Nearly one in five patients quit Zealand ​Pharma's 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 as of ‌1105 GMT

(Reporting by ⁠Vera ​Dvorakova and Jesus Calero in Gdansk; Editing by Milla ​Nissi-Prussak)

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