((Automated translation by Reuters, please see disclaimer https://bit.ly/rtrsauto))
(Added details on Structure Therapeutics)
Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy NOVOb.CO and Eli Lilly’s Zepbound LLY.N are so far the leaders in the weight-loss drug market, which is estimated to be worth $100 billion by the end of the decade.
But several other drug developers plan to jump on the bandwagon. Here is a list of publicly traded companies eyeing the next big opportunity:
NOVO NORDISK
Novo’s latest candidate, amycretin, helped obese patients lose 13.1% of their weight after 12 weeks of treatment. The data compares to a weight loss of around 6% after 12 weeks in a trial for Wegovy.
Novo said it plans to begin a mid-phase study for amycretin in the second half of the year, with results expected in early 2026.
In August, Novo Nordisk published the results of a large study showing that Wegovy also had a clear cardiovascular benefit. Wegovy, which uses the same active ingredient as Novo’s diabetes drug Ozempic, was approved in 2021.
In June, the drugmaker released results from a late-phase trial of a high-dose oral version of its drug, semaglutide, which helps obese or overweight adults lose 15% of their body weight, which which matches recent results from other experimental obesity pills.
In February, the company said it would buy three of Catalent’s fill and finish sites – in Anagni, Italy, Brussels, Belgium, and Bloomington, Indiana – from Novo Holdings for an amount of 11 billion dollars, in order to increase its production of Wegovy. These sites will be acquired after Novo Holdings completes the acquisition of Catalent.
ELI LILLY
Eli Lilly’s weight loss treatment Zepbound received the green light from US and UK regulators in November , paving the way for a powerful new rival to Novo’s Wegovy.
The company reported $175.8 million in Zepbound sales during the first weeks of its December launch. The drug, known by the chemical name tirzepatide, has been available as Mounjaro for type 2 diabetes since 2022 and has been used “off-label” for weight loss.
Lilly said in June that a mid-stage trial of its next-generation obesity drug candidate, a weekly injection of retatrutide, led to weight loss of up to 24.2% after 48 weeks.
PFIZER
Pfizer PFE.N said in December it was stopping further trials of a two-day version of its oral weight-loss drug danuglipron.
The move follows most patients dropping out of a trial midway due to a high rate of side effects such as nausea and vomiting.
The company said it would instead focus on a modified-release, once-daily version of danuglipron. Data on the interaction of this version with the human body is expected next year.
In June, Pfizer abandoned development of its once-daily pill due to concerns about liver safety.
ROCHE ET CARMOT THERAPEUTICS
Roche ROG.S acquired CT-388 as part of its $2.7 billion takeover of Carmot Therapeutics. Carmot’s weekly injection belongs to the same class as Mounjaro or Zepbound from Eli Lilly LLY.N.
The newly acquired drug candidate has completed preliminary trials and is ready for human testing in the second of three trial phases, Roche said.
AMGEN
Amgen’s experimental obesity drug, AMG133, showed in November an average weight loss of 14.5% after 12 weeks of treatment at the highest monthly dose.
ALTIMMUNE
Altimmune ALT.O said in November that its drug candidate, pemvidutide, helped reduce weight by 15.6% on average and showed continued weight loss at the end of treatment in a mid-phase trial.
However, patients also experienced mild to moderate nausea and vomiting.
VIKING THERAPEUTICS
Viking Therapeutics VKTX.O said in February that its investigational drug VK2735 helped patients with obesity achieve “significant” weight loss in a mid-phase study.
VK2735 helped patients achieve an average weight loss of 14.7% after 13 weeks of treatment, according to data from the study, which enrolled 176 overweight adults with at least one weight-related comorbidity.
ZEALAND PHARMA
The experimental obesity treatment from Denmark’s Zealand Pharma ZELA.CO and Boehringer Ingelheim achieved weight loss of up to 14.9% in a mid-stage trial in May.
OPKO HEALTH
Opko Health OPK.O has completed a mid-phase trial of its obesity drug pegapamodutide, which is expected to have fewer side effects.
THERAPEUTIC STRUCTURE
Structure Therapeutics GPCR.O said its experimental orally administered obesity drug reduced weight by an average of 6.2% after 12 weeks in a mid-phase study.
