Short answer: survodutide (BI 456906) is a GLP-1 + glucagon dual agonist from Boehringer Ingelheim and Zealand Pharma, given once weekly. The glucagon arm makes it as much a liver drug as a weight drug — it holds U.S. FDA Breakthrough Therapy status for the liver disease MASH, and the Phase 3 SYNCHRONIZE-1 obesity trial met both primary endpoints and cut liver fat by up to ~63%. It has no marketing authorisation anywhere as of mid-2026. New-U does not sell survodutide. Part of our next obesity-research wave overview.
Plain-English summary. Survodutide is an unapproved, investigational drug. Breakthrough Therapy designation speeds FDA review — it is not an approval. The FDA, MHRA and EMA have not authorised survodutide. This page is general information, not legal or medical advice; do not use unapproved compounds on people.
Survodutide (developmental code BI 456906) is a synthetic peptide dual agonist of the GLP-1 and glucagon receptors, given as a once-weekly subcutaneous injection. It was discovered at Zealand Pharma and licensed to Boehringer Ingelheim, which leads its global development and commercialisation. Molecular and trial detail is indexed under PubMed: survodutide / BI 456906.
Adding glucagon to GLP-1 changes what the drug does:
This is the same dual logic behind the glucagon arm of retatrutide — except retatrutide adds GIP on top, whereas survodutide stays a focused GLP-1/glucagon pairing aimed squarely at weight and liver.
Because the glucagon arm pulls fat out of the liver, survodutide is being developed for MASH (metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis — the serious, fibrosing form of fatty liver disease) as well as obesity. The U.S. FDA granted survodutide Breakthrough Therapy designation for non-cirrhotic MASH with moderate-to-advanced fibrosis in September 2024. Its liver programme runs under the LIVERAGE Phase 3 studies.
| Trial | Indication | Result |
|---|---|---|
| SYNCHRONIZE-1 (Phase 3, 76 wks, n=725) | Obesity, no diabetes | Met both primary endpoints; liver fat reduced up to ~63.1% |
| SYNCHRONIZE-MASLD (Phase 3) | Fatty liver | ~6 in 10 reached liver-fat normalisation at 48 wks |
| Phase 2 obesity | Obesity | Mean weight reduction in the high teens (%) over ~46 wks |
| Phase 2 MASH | MASH / fibrosis | Significant improvement in liver fibrosis vs placebo |
The SYNCHRONIZE-1 obesity results were published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Topline weight-loss magnitude and full secondary endpoints should be read from the primary publication rather than summarised here as a single headline number, because trial design and estimands matter.
| Compound | Receptor profile | Standout indication | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Survodutide | GLP-1 + glucagon | Obesity + MASH | Phase 3, no approval |
| Retatrutide | GLP-1 + GIP + glucagon | Obesity (incl. MASH arm) | Phase 3, no approval |
| Tirzepatide | GLP-1 + GIP | Obesity / type-2 diabetes | Approved |
| Semaglutide | GLP-1 | Obesity / cardiovascular | Approved |
Survodutide is a proprietary Boehringer Ingelheim / Zealand molecule and is not catalogued by research-compound suppliers. New-U does not sell survodutide. The closest established research reference that also carries a glucagon arm is the triple agonist:
Each ships as a sealed, lyophilised reference peptide verified to >99% HPLC purity with a per-batch Certificate of Analysis — research use only, not for human consumption.
What is survodutide?
A GLP-1 + glucagon dual agonist (BI 456906) from Boehringer Ingelheim and Zealand Pharma, dosed once weekly, developed for obesity and MASH.
Is survodutide approved?
No. As of mid-2026 it has no marketing authorisation; it is in Phase 3. Its MASH Breakthrough Therapy status speeds review but is not approval.
How is it different from semaglutide?
It adds glucagon-receptor agonism, which raises energy expenditure and mobilises liver fat — a weight-and-liver drug.
What did the trials show?
SYNCHRONIZE-1 (Phase 3 obesity) met both primary endpoints and cut liver fat up to ~63%; Phase 2 MASH data showed fibrosis improvement.
Can I buy survodutide for research?
No — it is proprietary. New-U catalogues the glucagon-arm reference retatrutide instead. Research use only.
External links are provided for research reference only; New-U is not affiliated with the cited organisations and links carry no endorsement either way.
New-U Research Compounds catalogues retatrutide — the triple agonist whose glucagon arm parallels survodutide’s — plus semaglutide and tirzepatide, as sealed 10-vial packs of lyophilised reference peptide, independently verified by Janoshik and Freedom Diagnostics for >99% HPLC purity, with a per-batch Certificate of Analysis. Research use only — not for human consumption.
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