Currently, two highly effective medications are approved for the treatment of obesity: glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) and dual GLP-1/glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) RAs. Although these drugs are widely considered to be better than previous options, there is significant individual variability in the degree of improvement and benefit they provide. Therefore, there is a need for drugs with new mechanisms to treat the entire population of people with obesity.         

During the session, The Benefits of Glucagon/GLP-1 Receptor Dual Agonism: Insights from the SYNCHRONIZE™ Phase 3 Studies of Survodutide, a panel of experts will trace the evolution from the basic science underlying survodutide to results from two of the four studies in the SYNCHRONIZE program: SYNCHRONIZE-1 and SYNCHRONIZE-MASLD. This symposium will be the first report of the clinical effects of the once-weekly injectable medication on both liver health and body weight.

The session will be held on Sunday, June 7 from 1:30–3:00 p.m. in Great Hall A of the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. On-demand access to recorded presentations will be available to registered participants following the conclusion of the 2026 Scientific Sessions, from June 10–August 10.

There is evidence that the glucagon receptor agonistic activity of survodutide contributes to its ability to reduce liver fat and improve liver disease, including steatotic liver disease and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH). Lee Kaplan, MD, PhD, Director of the Obesity, Metabolism & Nutrition Institute, in Massachusetts, will present results of SYNCHRONIZE-MASLD, which studied survodutide for the treatment of obesity and MASLD. Jamie Almandoz, MD, MBA, FTOS, Professor of Internal Medicine and Section Chief of the Weight Wellness Program at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, will explain the clinical implications of glucagon/GLP-1 receptor dual activation for the treatment of obesity and steatotic liver disease.

Phase 2 clinical trial data already reported suggest survodutide has a greater ability to mobilize or oxidize fat in the liver, in addition to oxidizing fat in adipose tissue, which underlies the effective treatment of obesity.

“The idea is that by including glucagon and GLP-1 receptor agonist activities together, you’re creating a longer acting and perhaps more powerful version of a naturally occurring peptide called oxyntomodulin,” Dr. Kaplan said. “The body naturally produces oxyntomodulin, a dual agonist of these two receptors. The hope is that it will have characteristics that would be beneficial to not only people with obesity, but people with obesity and its complications, particularly people with obesity and liver complications.”

Carel le Roux, MBChB, FRCP, FRCPath, PhD, Professor of Chemical Pathology at the University College Dublin, Ireland, will discuss the results from SYNCHRONIZE-1, a study conducted in people with obesity and a body mass index (BMI) above 27 who do not have type 2 diabetes. The primary outcome of the trial was percentage weight loss. The trial also examined categorical weight loss, waist circumference, improvements in blood pressure (systolic and diastolic), and glycemic management.

“This trial is important because it’s the first oxyntomodulin analog,” Dr. le Roux said. “We need more classes of medications because, with a GLP-1-based treatment, many people have incredibly good responses, but we also have a number of patients who do not respond. And that’s substantial. That could be up to 20% if we take 10% weight loss as a response. So, we are talking about people with less than 10% weight loss. So can this class of drugs really help these patients who do not respond to GLP-1-based treatments?”

There is particular interest in the complications or intolerances associated with survodutide. The most frequent intolerances reported by people taking GLP-1 RAs are gastrointestinal, including nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and constipation. In most cases, these symptoms resolve over time, and current evidence suggests they do not cause lasting issues.

“I think in the past, we’ve been too eager to increase doses to the maximum tolerable dose as quickly as we were allowed, and what we are seeing is that many patients will benefit dramatically,” Dr. le Roux said. “But if we make people feel unwell or cause side effects, then people are going to drop out. What we are learning from these clinical trials is how we can be gentler so that people can have these treatments in the long term and tolerate them, so we can actually have all the long-term benefits.”

Ania M. Jastreboff, MD, PhD, Professor of Medicine at Yale University School of Medicine and Director of the Yale Obesity Research Center (Y-Weight), will explain the rationale and design of the phase 3 studies, and Matthias Tschöp, MD, President of Ludwig Maximilian University, Munich, Germany, will discuss the discovery and clinical validation of gut hormone receptor polyagonists.

Register Today for the 2026 Scientific Sessions

Register to join us in New Orleans June 5–8 to learn about the latest advances in diabetes research, prevention, and care. After the meeting, registered participants will have on-demand access to recorded presentations.