Zealand Pharma appoints Utpal Singh as Chief Scientific Officer to drive next-generation peptide therapeutics discovery
Utpal joins Zealand Pharma at a pivotal moment as it aims to become a leader in the management of obesity and related complications
He will lead the discovery and clinical translation of peptide medicines, investing in new technologies including data and computational science
Utpal to expand the global scientific team to drive Zealand Pharma’s next wave of highly differentiated, innovative therapies, building on the Company’s strong drug development heritage
Copenhagen, Denmark, 23 April 2025 – Zealand Pharma A/S (Nasdaq Copenhagen: ZEAL) (CVR-no. 20045078), a biotechnology company focused on the discovery and development of innovative peptide-based medicines, today announces the appointment of Utpal Singh as Chief Scientific Officer. Utpal will join the executive team to lead discovery research and translational sciences at Zealand Pharma.
Utpal brings nearly 25 years of pharmaceutical industry experience spanning the full drug discovery and development lifecycle. Most recently, he served as Senior Vice President of Small Molecule Discovery at Eli Lilly and Company, where he led the transformation of the discovery engine by building new capabilities and strategic partnerships to advance a focused portfolio. His team contributed to the discovery of numerous clinical candidates across multiple therapeutic areas.
“We are committed to expanding our world-leading peptide discovery engine to support the next wave of innovation at Zealand – and Utpal’s appointment further strengthens our foundation for growth,” said Adam Steensberg, Chief Executive Officer, Zealand Pharma. “His leadership in design and discovery of life-changing medicines will be instrumental in our mission to develop enduring therapies for patients.”
Utpal Singh, newly appointed Chief Scientific Officer at Zealand Pharma, added, “The recent advances in data science and machine learning integrated with Zealand Pharma’s exceptional peptide discovery and translational expertise can create a powerful engine for drug discovery. Our ambitions are backed by the deep expertise and financial capital needed to drive transformative ideas that address critical patient needs. It’s a great time to invest in discovery research, and I’m eager to collaborate with this world-class team to develop medicines that could reshape the future of obesity and more.”
Utpal began his pharmaceutical career in 2001 with Merck & Co following completion of a postdoctoral fellowship in organic chemistry at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He holds a PhD in chemical engineering from The Pennsylvania State University and a BS in chemical engineering from Purdue University.
About Zealand Pharma A/S
Zealand Pharma A/S (Nasdaq: ZEAL) ("Zealand") is a biotechnology company focused on the discovery and development of peptide-based medicines. More than 10 drug candidates invented by Zealand have advanced into clinical development, of which two have reached the market and three candidates are in late-stage development. The company has development partnerships with a number of pharma companies as well as commercial partnerships for its marketed products.
Founded in 1998 and headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark, Zealand has a team in the U.S. For more information about Zealand Pharma’s business and activities, please visit www.zealandpharma.com.
Forward looking statements
This press release contains “forward-looking statements”, as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 in the United States, as amended, even though no longer listed in the United States this is used as a definition to provide Zealand Pharma’s expectations or forecasts of future events regarding the research, development and commercialization of pharmaceutical products, the timing of the company’s pre-clinical and clinical trials and the reporting of data therefrom. These forward-looking statements may be identified by words such as “aim,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “forecast,” “goal,” “intend,” “may,” “plan,” “possible,” “potential,” “will,” “would” and other words and terms of similar meaning. You should not place undue reliance on these statements, or the scientific data presented. The reader is cautioned not to rely on these forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties and inaccurate assumptions, which may cause actual results to differ materially from expectations set forth herein and may cause any or all of such forward-looking statements to be incorrect, and which include, but are not limited to, unexpected costs or delays in clinical trials and other development activities due to adverse safety events, patient recruitment or otherwise; unexpected concerns that may arise from additional data, analysis or results obtained during clinical trials; our ability to successfully market both new and existing products; changes in reimbursement rules and governmental laws and related interpretation thereof; government-mandated or market-driven price decreases for our products; introduction of competing products; production problems at third party manufacturers; dependency on third parties, for instance contract research or development organizations; unexpected growth in costs and expenses; our ability to effect the strategic reorganization of our businesses in the manner planned; failure to protect and enforce our data, intellectual property and other proprietary rights and uncertainties relating to intellectual property claims and challenges; regulatory authorities may require additional information or further studies, or may reject, fail to approve or may delay approval of our drug candidates or expansion of product labeling; failure to obtain regulatory approvals in other jurisdictions; exposure to product liability and other claims; interest rate and currency exchange rate fluctuations; unexpected contract breaches or terminations; inflationary pressures on the global economy; and political uncertainty. If any or all of such forward-looking statements prove to be incorrect, our actual results could differ materially and adversely from those anticipated or implied by such statements. The foregoing sets forth many, but not all, of the factors that could cause actual results to differ from our expectations in any forward-looking statement. All such forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this company announcement and are based on information available to Zealand Pharma as of the date of this announcement. We do not undertake to update any of these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances that occur after the date hereof. Information concerning pharmaceuticals (including compounds under development) contained within this material is not intended as advertising or medical advice.
Contacts:
Adam Lange (Investors) Vice President, Investor Relations Zealand Pharma alange@zealandpharma.com
