Germany-based Boehringer Ingelheim has entered a collaboration and licensing agreement with Danish biotech company Gubra to develop new peptide compounds to treat obesity.

Under the collaboration, Gubra’s expertise in the design, synthesis, characterisation and in vivo testing of therapeutic peptides will be combined with Boehringer's ability in the development of new treatments for patients with cardiometabolic disease.

Gubra CEO Henrik Blou said: "We are extremely pleased to enter this collaboration and licence agreement with Boehringer Ingelheim, which is yet another proof of the quality of our longstanding work in the metabolic space.

"It is truly a pleasure to be able to work with Boehringer Ingelheim on this important project and it enables us to utilise our very broad range of research, discovery and development capabilities for the benefit of the large number of patients suffering from this condition."

The deal will further expand and boost Boehringer's comprehensive research and development portfolio in cardiometabolic diseases.

Boehringer Ingelheim discovery research corporate senior vice-president Dr Clive Wood said: "We look forward to working with Gubra to bring breakthrough treatments for obesity.

"It underscores our holistic, patient centric research strategy in metabolic diseases, which addresses not only obesity but also diabetes and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, as well as complications like diabetic nephropathy and diabetic retinopathy."

Obesity is claimed to be one of the major risk factors that lead to heart disease, ischemic stroke, liver diseases, type 2 diabetes and a number of cancers.

The collaboration between the two companies will focus on identifying new peptidic compounds able to regulate food intake.