Zealand Pharma develops long‑acting peptide therapeutics that target hormonal and immune pathways for obesity, metabolic disorders, autoimmune diseases, congenital hyperinsulinism, and short bowel syndrome. Using proprietary peptide engineering, the company creates molecules such as amylin analogs, GLP‑1/GLP‑2 dual agonists, glucagon/GLP‑1 dual agonists, GIP agonists, and Kv1.3 ion‑channel blockers to enable less frequent dosing and improved efficacy and tolerability. These candidates are licensed or co‑developed with pharmaceutical partners to accelerate clinical progress and market access.
Funding
$4.1M raised to dateRaised to date based on public sources. This may differ from the amount the company actually raised and is based only on what is publicly available on the internet.
Founders
Product
Problem
Patients with obesity, metabolic disorders, autoimmune diseases, congenital hyperinsulinism, and short bowel syndrome have limited treatment options, often requiring frequent dosing, invasive administration, or therapies with suboptimal efficacy and tolerability.
Solution
Zealand Pharma applies peptide engineering and incretin biology to create long-acting, targeted peptide therapeutics that address the underlying hormonal and immune pathways of these conditions. Their pipeline includes novel amylin analogs, GLP‑1/GLP‑2 dual agonists, glucagon/GLP‑1 dual agonists, GIP receptor agonists, and selective Kv1.3 ion‑channel blockers. These molecules are designed for extended half‑life, enabling less frequent dosing and improved patient adherence. By leveraging proprietary peptide formats and receptor‑selective mechanisms, the company aims to deliver higher efficacy with better safety and tolerability profiles compared with existing treatments. Partnerships and licensing agreements allow rapid progression of candidates through clinical development and eventual market access.
Target Audience
Primary customers are pharmaceutical companies and biotech partners seeking to license or co‑develop peptide therapeutics for obesity, metabolic disease, autoimmune disorders, congenital hyperinsulinism, and short bowel syndrome, as well as clinicians treating patients with these conditions.
Features
- Petrelintide: a long‑acting amylin analog for weight loss, offering an alternative mechanism to GLP‑1 agonists.
- Survodutide: a glucagon/GLP‑1 dual agonist targeting obesity and metabolic dysfunction, licensed to Boehringer Ingelheim and in Phase 3.
- ZP6590: a GIP receptor agonist designed to complement GLP‑1 therapy for enhanced weight‑loss efficacy and tolerability (preclinical).
- ZP9830: a potent, selective Kv1.3 ion‑channel blocker intended for T‑cell‑driven autoimmune diseases (Phase 1).
- Dasiglucagon continuous‑infusion formulation: a glucagon analog suitable for wearable pump delivery in congenital hyperinsulinism.
- Glepaglutide: a long‑acting GLP‑2 analog aimed at reducing parenteral nutrition dependence in short bowel syndrome patients.
- Dapiglutide (paused): a GLP‑1/GLP‑2 dual agonist with biased signaling for metabolic and intestinal health (Phase 2 ready).