There are a few new weight loss medicines set to hit the UK market in the coming years. One of them is Boehringer Ingelheim’s survodutide.
Currently, survodutide is being investigated in clinical trials. That means it isn’t approved yet, so a clinician can’t prescribe it to you. But here’s what we know about survodutide so far.
What is survodutide?
It’s an experimental drug being developed by Boehringer Ingelheim. Survodutide is being studied as a treatment for weight loss, type 2 diabetes and a form of fatty liver disease called MASH (metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis).
How does survodutide work for weight loss?
Survodutide works by acting like two hormones, GLP-1 and glucagon. The first, GLP-1, makes you feel full and suppresses your appetite. Whereas glucagon may support weight loss by increasing the amount of energy your body uses and helping to burn fat.
You might have heard other weight loss medications, like Mounjaro, Wegovy and Saxenda weight loss injections, being referred to as GLP-1 receptor agonists. That just means that they act like GLP-1; they bring on the effects of that hormone.
Survodutide’s dual action makes it a glucagon/GLP-1 receptor agonist. And this double effect suggests that survodutide may be more effective than Saxenda and Wegovy.
Heads up: all of the weight loss medicines we’ve mentioned here (including survodutide!) are meant to be taken alongside a healthy diet and regular exercise. Otherwise, they might not work as well.
How much weight can you lose on survodutide?
Per the research we have so far, people taking survodutide for 46 weeks could lose around 19% of their starting weight.
That figure is from a phase II trial that was completed in 2023. And because results didn’t plateau during the trial, it’s possible that even more weight loss is possible if survodutide is taken for longer. To give you an idea: for people on Wegovy weight loss injections, results typically plateau at around week 60.
A phase III trial on survodutide and obesity is currently underway and is due to be completed in early 2026. This trial will run for over a year, so it will hopefully give us more insight into how much weight you could potentially lose with this medicine.
Is survodutide safe?
Side effects have been reported in early clinical research, but survodutide has generally been well-tolerated. There haven’t been any unexpected issues or safety concerns so far.
Mostly, symptoms have been related to the gut (these made up around 75% of all side effects in the phase II trial). This is because of how survodutide works: one of the ways GLP-1 makes you feel full is by acting on the gut to slow down your digestion.
Nausea was the most common side effect in the trial, followed by vomiting, diarrhoea and constipation.
But remember: survodutide hasn’t been approved yet! That means that it hasn’t been reviewed by a regulator and confirmed to be safe.
When will survodutide be available?
For the UK regulator (aka the MHRA) to approve a medicine, they have to assess the results from clinical trials to decide whether it’s safe and effective.
SYNCHRONIZE-1, the phase III trial for survodutide and obesity, is estimated to wrap up in early 2026. This is the last phase before approval. Because it can take several months for a medicine to go through the approvals process, we can guess that survodutide might be available as a weight loss treatment by late 2026 or in 2027.
FYI: survodutide is also being studied as a treatment for liver disease and type 2 diabetes, so it’s possible that it would be approved for either of those uses first.
Where to buy survodutide
We know we’re repeating ourselves, but just to be super clear: survodutide hasn’t been approved and isn’t available yet.
But when it does hit the market, you should be able to get it via private prescription from online providers and pharmacies. If you’re signed up to our weight loss programme (more on this below), we’ll let you know as soon as that happens.
Medicines have to go through a separate process to become available on the NHS. So, we can’t say whether you’ll be able to get survodutide via this route.
Weight loss medicines that work
While clinical research on survodutide continues, there are plenty of science-backed weight loss medications you can get right now.
There’s Saxenda, Wegovy and Mounjaro weight loss injections, as well as orlistat weight loss pills.
You can get one of these medicines posted to you each month as part of our weight loss programme. You’ll also get dedicated support from our nutritionist and team of coaches, who will work with you to create a personalised plan for transforming your lifestyle.
Find out if you’re eligible by taking our short quiz. Our clinicians will review and come back to you within minutes.
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