The private firm intends to begin enrollment for the survodutide clinical trial, which it co-invented with the Danish biotech company Zealand Pharma (ZELA.CO), by the end of the year.
The trials would assess the drug’s safety and efficacy, according to Boehringer, who added that further information about the research would be provided before they begin.
Boehringer Ingelheim and Zealand are two major pharmaceutical companies vying for a piece of the estimated $100 billion obesity treatment industry over the next decade.
Survodutide works by mimicking glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) in the gut, which lowers hunger, as well as another gut hormone called glucagon, which aids in fat breakdown.
Survodutide is also being tested in patients with a type of fatty liver disease known as nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH).