Zealand Pharma (ZEAL) 44th Annual J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference summary

Strategic vision and ambitions

• Launched Metabolic Frontier 2030 strategy to address the obesity pandemic and related diseases, aiming to become a generational biotech leader in metabolic health over the next five years.

• Plans to launch significant new medicines, including Survodutide (with Boehringer Ingelheim) and petrelintide (with Roche), targeting obesity and metabolic disorders.

• Committed to building the world's most valuable metabolic health pipeline, leveraging over 25 years of proprietary data and integrating AI and machine learning for innovation.

• Intends to develop more than 10 clinical candidates and establish industry-leading timelines from idea to clinic within five years.

• Financially strong with over DKK 2.5 billion in cash and more than $1.2 billion in near-term milestones, supporting the journey to profitability.

Pipeline and clinical milestones

• Expects multiple clinical data readouts in 2024, including pivotal phase II data for petrelintide and phase III data for Survodutide.

• Petrelintide phase II data is anticipated to be a key catalyst, with plans to move into phase III and a large cardiovascular outcome study in the second half of the year.

• Survodutide phase III results, including studies in obese patients and those with diabetes, as well as a major cardiovascular outcome study, are expected this year.

• Early pipeline progress includes near-term data from a Kv1.3 inhibitor for autoimmune diseases and the establishment of a Boston research hub by mid-year.

• Five product launches are expected in the next five years, including rare disease assets for congenital hyperinsulinism and short bowel syndrome.

Market insights and unmet needs

• Obesity is described as the largest healthcare challenge, with over five million annual deaths attributed to its long-term consequences.

• Current GLP-1 therapies show limited long-term adherence, with only 2%-4% of exposed patients remaining on treatment, mainly due to GI side effects and cost.

• Real-world weight loss with GLP-1s averages 8%-12%, lower than clinical trial results, and most patients seek 15%-20% weight loss rather than higher targets.

• There is a need for more individualized and tolerable therapies, as most patients discontinue current treatments before achieving sustained health benefits.

• Amylin-based therapies, particularly petrelintide, are positioned to offer a more pleasant and sustainable weight loss experience, targeting the majority's needs.