Survodutide for the Treatment of Obesity Disease in Japanese Participants: Rationale, Design and Baseline Characteristics of the Phase 3 SYNCHRONIZE-JP Trial

Survodutide is being tested in a phase 3 trial in Japanese adults with obesity disease, and this paper reports the trial design and baseline data. At enrollment, 274 participants had a mean age of 53.1 years, a mean BMI of 33.2 kg/m2, and common complications including dyslipidaemia and hypertension. No treatment outcomes are reported yet.

Journal article — Randomised double-blind parallel-group phase 3 trial. Population: Japanese adults with obesity disease (BMI ≥35 kg/m2 with ≥1 complication, or BMI ≥27 kg/m2 with ≥2 complications). Sample size: 274 participants. Follow-up: 76 weeks. Interventions: Survodutide 3.6 mg once weekly; Survodutide 6.0 mg once weekly; Reduced-calorie diet; Increased physical activity. Cited by 1 other paper.

At baseline, 274 participants were enrolled. The mean age was 53.1 years, 47.8% were female, and mean BMI was 33.2 kg/m2. A quarter (24.1%) had type 2 diabetes. The most frequent complications were dyslipidaemia (81.4%), hypertension (72.6%), hyperuricaemia (30.3%) and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (26.6%).

This paper establishes the rationale, design, and baseline profile for the phase 3 SYNCHRONIZE-JP trial, which researchers studying survodutide can use to interpret future outcome data. It does not establish whether survodutide is effective or safe in this population, nor does it provide any efficacy results.

Key findings

• Of the 274 enrolled participants, 24.1% had type 2 diabetes.
• Mean age was 53.1 years and 47.8% were female.
• Mean body mass index was 33.2 kg/m2.
• Dyslipidaemia (81.4%) and hypertension (72.6%) were the most common obesity complications.
• The trial randomised participants 1:1:1 to survodutide 3.6 mg, 6.0 mg or placebo.

Limitations

• No efficacy or safety results are reported; this is a design and baseline paper.
• Single-country (Japan) trial may limit generalisability to other populations.
• Type 2 diabetes enrolment was capped at 30%, so conclusions for that subgroup may be limited.
• Eligibility criteria requiring specific BMI and complication thresholds may limit applicability to broader obesity populations.

The record

• Journal: Diabetes, obesity & metabolism 28(8): 6595-6606
• Published: 2026-05-31
• PMID: 42219222 — DOI: 10.1111/dom.70862
• MeSH terms: Humans, Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2, Obesity, Weight Loss, Anti-Obesity Agents, Treatment Outcome, Double-Blind Method, Adult, Aged, Middle Aged, Japan, Female, Male, Multicenter Studies as Topic, Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic, Clinical Trials, Phase III as Topic, East Asian People, Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 Receptor Agonists
• Funding: Boehringer Ingelheim
• Author countries: China, Germany, Japan

Peptide profiles: Survodutide.

All indexed evidence: Survodutide trials & papers.

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