Danish weight loss drug maker outlines ambitious 2030 strategy, ramping up pressure on Novo, Lilly

Zealand Pharma on Thursday outlined an ambitious five-year strategy for its anti-obesity portfolio Thursday, spotlighting how growing competition from smaller players is tightening the race for market leaders Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly as more of these medicines near market entry.

The new strategy, “Metabolic Frontier 2030,” comes as Zealand shares have dropped 29% year to date as investors are betting the market will fragment, with fewer singular winners than they were 18 months ago at the peak of the weight loss drug frenzy.

Ahead of its Capital Markets Day on Thursday, the Danish drugmaker said it now targets five drug launches, at least 10 clinical pipeline programs and industry-leading cycle times by 2030.

The strategy will combine strategic partnerships, accelerated drug development, and expanded research capabilities to build the world’s most valuable metabolic health pipeline, Zealand Pharma said in a statement. 

One of Zealand’s most promising drugs under development is petrelintide which targets the pancreatic amylin hormone — different from the GLP-1 gut hormone targeted by Novo’s Wegovy and Lilly’s Zepbound. The drug, developed in partnership with Roche, has shown more moderate side effects than current injectables in early-stage clinical trials.

Mid-stage data on petrelintide are due early next year, while data on its dual GLP-1 agonist called survodutide will read out throughout 2026.