7. Zealand Pharma A/S (NASDAQ:ZEAL)
Zealand Pharma A/S (NASDAQ Copenhagen: ZEAL) occupies seventh place because the company is helping turn amylin into one of the most closely watched alternatives to GLP-1 therapy. Its leading obesity asset, petrelintide, is a long-acting amylin analog being co-developed with Roche. Amylin is a hormone released alongside insulin that can influence appetite, fullness and gastric emptying. The attraction is that an amylin-based medicine may provide meaningful weight loss with a different tolerability profile from incretin drugs.
In the Phase 2 ZUPREME-1 trial, petrelintide produced mean body-weight reduction of as much as 10.7% after 42 weeks, compared with 1.7% for placebo. At the maximally effective dose, the companies reported no vomiting and no treatment discontinuations caused by gastrointestinal adverse events. Although the weight reduction fell below the expectations of some investors, the tolerability data supported the argument that not every patient will want or need the most aggressive available treatment. Roche and Zealand Pharma A/S (NASDAQ Copenhagen: ZEAL) planned to move petrelintide into a comprehensive Phase 3 program during the second half of 2026.
The Roche collaboration also reduces some of the traditional risks facing a smaller biotechnology company. The agreement was valued at as much as $5.3 billion, with Roche contributing global development, manufacturing and commercial capabilities. Petrelintide could be developed as a monotherapy for patients prioritizing tolerability or as a combination component intended to produce greater weight loss. The stock remains vulnerable to direct comparisons with more powerful candidates, including Lilly’s investigational amylin treatment. Still, Zealand Pharma A/S (NASDAQ Copenhagen: ZEAL) may have an important place in a market that will eventually require several treatment profiles rather than one drug for every patient.
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