Zealand Pharma A/S Stock Price, News & Analysis

Zealand Pharma A/S (Nasdaq: ZEAL) is a biotechnology company focused on the discovery, development and advancement of peptide-based medicines, with a particular emphasis on obesity, metabolic health and related metabolic diseases. The company combines more than 25 years of peptide research and development expertise with a proprietary data platform that uses advanced data‑driven and AI/ML approaches to pursue new treatments for people living with overweight, obesity and other metabolic conditions.

Founded in 1998 and headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark, Zealand Pharma has built a pipeline in which more than ten drug candidates invented by the company have entered clinical development. According to company disclosures, two Zealand Pharma‑invented products have reached the market and three candidates are in late-stage clinical development. The company also reports collaborations and license agreements with global pharmaceutical and biotechnology partners for research, development and commercialization, reflecting a partnership-based model for advancing its peptide investigational agents.

Focus on obesity and metabolic health

Zealand Pharma describes itself as a biotechnology company advancing medicines for obesity and metabolic health. Its work targets critical metabolic pathways involved in weight regulation and related cardio‑renal‑metabolic diseases. The company highlights a long-term commitment to discovering and developing differentiated peptide therapeutics that aim to achieve substantial weight loss while addressing the complex pathophysiology of overweight and obesity.

In its public communications, Zealand Pharma notes that it is co-inventor of BI 456906, a dual glucagon/GLP‑1 receptor agonist being developed under a collaboration with Boehringer Ingelheim. Phase II clinical data released by Boehringer Ingelheim and Zealand Pharma showed that treatment with BI 456906 led to dose‑dependent reductions in body weight in people living with obesity or overweight, and in people with type 2 diabetes in separate studies. These results support Zealand Pharma’s stated focus on peptide-based approaches that act on multiple metabolic pathways.

Peptide-based R&D platform and pipeline

Zealand Pharma repeatedly characterizes its core expertise as peptide R&D. The company reports that more than ten of its peptide drug candidates have progressed into clinical development, with two reaching the market. It also notes that three candidates are in late-stage development. Public announcements describe several investigational peptide-based candidates under study for obesity and related indications, including:

• Dapiglutide, a long‑acting GLP‑1R/GLP‑2R dual agonist in clinical trials for the potential treatment of obesity.
• ZP8396, an investigational long‑acting amylin analogue designed to improve solubility, minimize fibrillation and allow co‑formulation with other peptides, including GLP‑1 analogues, with preclinical data indicating anti‑obesity effects.
• ZP6590, a long‑acting glucose‑dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) analogue with a predicted half‑life supporting once‑weekly dosing, investigated for its effects on weight regulation and potential antiemetic properties.

In addition, Zealand Pharma has disclosed development of glepaglutide, a long‑acting GLP‑2 analogue in Phase 3 clinical trials for Short Bowel Syndrome, and reports positive topline results from the EASE 1 Phase 3 clinical trial in company announcements. These programs illustrate the company’s use of peptide engineering to target metabolic and gastrointestinal pathways.

Collaborations and partnerships

Zealand Pharma emphasizes collaborations as a key element of its business. The company has long‑standing license and development collaborations with Boehringer Ingelheim, including for BI 456906, where Boehringer Ingelheim funds research, development and commercialization activities and Zealand Pharma is eligible for milestone payments and royalties on global sales. Company announcements also reference collaborations with AstraZeneca and other pharmaceutical partners, as well as commercial partnerships for its marketed products.

In a more recent announcement, Zealand Pharma and OTR Therapeutics disclosed a multi‑program strategic collaboration and license agreement to discover and develop novel therapeutics for multiple targets in metabolic diseases. Under this agreement, OTR Therapeutics will leverage its proprietary oral small‑molecule discovery platform to lead research and preclinical development, while Zealand Pharma will assume responsibility for clinical development, regulatory submissions and commercialization worldwide. This collaboration is described by Zealand Pharma as complementary to its peptide R&D platform and aligned with an updated strategy to broaden treatment options for people living with overweight, obesity and other metabolic diseases.

Geographic footprint

Zealand Pharma states that it is headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark, with a presence in the United States that includes a team in Boston, Massachusetts. This footprint supports the company’s research, development and corporate activities across European and U.S. markets.

Capital markets and shareholder base

Zealand Pharma’s shares trade under the symbol ZEAL. Company announcements describe directed share offerings and private placements of new ordinary shares to institutional and professional investors, undertaken to support continued development of the company’s proprietary pipeline of investigational peptide-based therapeutics, pre‑commercial activities and general corporate purposes. These announcements also reference major shareholders, including institutional investors that hold significant percentages of the company’s share capital and voting rights, in accordance with Danish capital markets disclosure requirements.

Business model and revenue drivers

Based on its public statements, Zealand Pharma’s business model centers on discovering and developing peptide-based medicines and advancing them through clinical development, while using collaborations and partnerships for late-stage development, commercialization and broader patient reach. The company highlights development and commercial partnerships for its marketed products and license collaborations that may generate milestone payments and royalties, such as the agreement with Boehringer Ingelheim for BI 456906 and the collaboration with OTR Therapeutics for oral small‑molecule therapeutics in metabolic diseases.

Research areas and therapeutic focus

Zealand Pharma’s disclosed research areas include:

• Obesity and overweight, where multiple peptide candidates and co‑invented agents are being studied for their impact on body weight and metabolic parameters.
• Metabolic diseases, including type 2 diabetes and non‑alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), where BI 456906 is being investigated in Phase 2 trials funded by Boehringer Ingelheim.
• Short Bowel Syndrome (SBS), where glepaglutide is in Phase 3 clinical development.
• Cardio‑renal‑metabolic conditions, addressed indirectly through weight loss and metabolic regulation mechanisms described in clinical and preclinical data.

The company’s disclosures emphasize targeting multiple hormonal pathways (such as GLP‑1, GLP‑2, glucagon, amylin and GIP) to influence energy balance, glucose homeostasis, gastrointestinal function and treatment tolerability.

Position within the biotechnology and pharmaceutical landscape

Zealand Pharma is described in its own communications as a biotechnology company and as a Copenhagen‑based biotechnology company focused on peptide-based medicines. It operates within the broader pharmaceutical and biotechnology sector, with particular alignment to metabolic disease and obesity research. Its collaborations with Boehringer Ingelheim, AstraZeneca and other partners, as well as its presence on a major stock exchange, place it among publicly traded biotech companies pursuing specialized therapeutic platforms.

Investor and research communications

Zealand Pharma regularly issues company announcements and press releases covering topics such as capital increases, major shareholder notifications, clinical trial results, scientific presentations at conferences and strategic collaborations. The company also hosts conference calls and webcasts to discuss quarterly results and pipeline updates, providing investors and other stakeholders with information on its clinical programs, partnership activities and corporate strategy.

Summary

In summary, Zealand Pharma A/S (ZEAL) presents itself as a biotechnology company founded in 1998 and headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark, with a U.S. presence in Boston. It focuses on discovering, developing and, in some cases, commercializing peptide-based medicines, particularly for obesity, metabolic health and related diseases. With more than ten company‑invented drug candidates having entered clinical development, two products on the market, three late‑stage candidates, and multiple collaborations with global pharmaceutical and biotechnology partners, Zealand Pharma positions its peptide and data‑driven platform as the foundation for its ongoing work in metabolic and gastrointestinal therapeutics.