09 Jun ADA2026: Survodutide Achieves 16.6% Average Weight Loss with Targeted Visceral Fat Reduction in Phase 3 SYNCHRONIZE-1 Trial

MedicalResearch.com Interview with:

Prof. Carel le Roux

Professor Carel le Roux, MBChB, MSC, FRCP, FRCPath, PhD
Professor of Experimental Pathology
Conway Institute, Diabetes Complications Research Centre
University College Dublin
Ireland

MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?

Response: The Phase III SYNCHRONIZE-1 trial is a double-blind, placebo-controlled 76-week efficacy and safety trial of survodutide among 725 adults with the disease of obesity, without type 2 diabetes. Participants received a weekly injection of survodutide at either a 3.6mg or 6.0mg dose, or placebo. The primary endpoints of the trial are the percentage change in body weight from baseline to Week 76, and an achievement of body weight reduction ≥5% from baseline to Week 76.

The trial met its primary endpoints using both the treatment-regimen and efficacy estimands. Sustained weight loss of up to an average of 16.6% using the efficacy estimand, a statistically significant decrease versus 3.2% in the placebo arm.

The trial also met its co-primary endpoint, with 85.1% of adults treated with survodutide achieving a body weight reduction of ≥5% after 76 weeks of treatment, using the efficacy estimand, versus 38.8% in the placebo arm.

In a key secondary endpoint, adults treated with survodutide experienced a statistically significant improvement in waist circumference — a clinical marker closely linked to visceral fat and cardiometabolic risk — after 76 weeks versus placebo.

MedicalResearch.com: How does survodutide differ from other GLP-1 medications for obesity?

Response: Survodutide has the potential to support quality weight loss through a targeted reduction in metabolically harmful fat. When we talk about targeted weight loss, we mean a reduction in fat mass, such as visceral fat, which can support long-term metabolic health — rather than a reduction in lean mass, such as muscle. We saw this in an MRI sub study from the SYNCHRONIZE-1 trial, which showed that body weight reduction with survodutide was driven predominantly by a relative reduction of up to 34% visceral fat, with the proportion of lean mass loss reflecting no more than 10.8% of the change in total tissue mass.

For people with the disease of obesity, this is highly meaningful. Lean mass is important because it supports overall health, physical function, and the ability to carry out activities of daily living during weight loss. Minimizing lean mass lost plays a key role in weight-loss sustainability.

MedicalResearch.com: What should readers take away from your report?

Response: Where fat is lost matters, because the toxic visceral fat is a well-established driver of insulin resistance, cardiovascular disease, and liver disease. Reducing it is therefore highly relevant for patients’ long-term health.

We see this in SYNCHRONIZE-MASLD, where survodutide significantly reduced fat directly in the liver, by as much as 63.1%, indicating a targeted reduction in metabolically harmful fat after 76 weeks — reinforcing its potential relevance for conditions such as MASLD and MASH.

MedicalResearch.com: What recommendations do you have for future research as a result of this study?

Response: We saw improvements in body weight, in metabolic health, and in liver health specifically, but I’m keen to explore the long-term impacts on quality of life, and whether this enables people to live healthier, longer.

We are also interested in how to make these drugs more tolerable by being more flexible during titration. This may allow patients to remain on the medication for longer.

MedicalResearch.com: Is there anything else you would like to add? Any disclosures?

Response: Obesity rates continue to rise globally, and over one billion people around the world with the disease of obesity today making it one of the largest health issues of our time. With the data we’ve seen coming out of ADA, it’s clear that all these people living with obesity will benefit from the incredible work being done in this area, especially those who have cardio, kidney, liver, and metabolic diseases.

According to the World Health Organization, obesity has reached epidemic proportions globally, with more than one billion people affected, significantly increasing the risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, liver disease, and other serious conditions.

For more on advances in obesity and diabetes research, see MedicalResearch.com’s diabetes and metabolic health research coverage.

Disclosures: Professor Carel le Roux reports grants from the EU Innovative Medicine Initiative, Irish Research Council, Science Foundation Ireland, Anabio, and the Health Research Board. He serves on advisory boards and speakers panels of Abbvie, Altimmune, Amgen, Arrowhead Pharma, Astrazeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, Eli Lilly, Gila Pharmaceuticals, Herbalife, Irish Life Health, Johnson and Johnson, Keyron, Medscape, Metsera, Morphic Medical, Novo Nordisk, Nymble, Olympus, Pfizer, Rhythm Pharma, Roche, Wave, Zealand Pharma. Professor le Roux is the Chair of the Irish Society for Nutrition and Metabolism. He received stock options as payment for scientific advisory board functions from Nymble. He provides obesity clinical care in the My Best Weight clinic and Beyond BMI clinic and is a co-owner of these clinics.

Citations

1. Le Roux, CW. “Efficacy and Safety of Survodutide for the Treatment of Obesity in People without Diabetes: Results from SYNCHRONIZE™-1.” Oral presentation at the American Diabetes Association’s (ADA) 2026 Scientific Sessions, New Orleans, US. 7 June 2026.

2. Kaplan, L.M., Startseva, E., le Roux, C.W. et al. Survodutide in adults with obesity and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease: SYNCHRONIZE-MASLD, a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase 3 trial. Nat Med (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-026-04479-3

3. ADA 2026 Oral Presentation: Efficacy and Safety of Survodutide for the Treatment of Obesity in People without Diabetes: Results from SYNCHRONIZE™-1
American Diabetes Association 85th Scientific Sessions, New Orleans, June 20

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Last Updated on June 9, 2026 by Marie Benz MD FAAD