Companies large and small are set to present data on their next-generation weight loss drug candidates at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes annual meeting in Madrid, Spain.
The abstracts, which were unveiled Monday, span the most promising mechanisms in the space, from GLP-1s to amylin analogs. While the confab isn’t due to take place until September, Jefferies analysts highlighted some newsworthy data presentations to look out for. We’ve outlined the key findings from four of the abstracts.
Novo Nordisk’s dual amylin and GLP-1 receptor agonist showed efficacy in a 124-subject first-in-human trial in obese and overweight people. Patients given two 50 mg doses of the drug, dubbed amycretin, reached 13.1% average weight loss at 12 weeks versus placebo’s 1.1%.
Stepwise dose escalation meant that all tested dose levels, up to and including the 50 mg given twice, had “acceptable safety and tolerability profiles.” Most of the gastrointestinal side effects were mild or moderate in nature and were proportional to dosing, according to Novo.
Novo previously touted results from 16 patients enrolled in the trial back in March. At the time, execs described the drug candidate as offering a “key competitive edge.”
Boehringer Ingelheim and Zealand Pharma’s survodutide went head to head with Novo’s semaglutide in a preclinical test. Semaglutide and survodutide led to 17% and 11% weight loss, respectively, in obese hamsters. On lipid levels, the compounds’ effects varied more widely.
Only semaglutide significantly reduced triglyceride levels (50%), but survodutide lowered total cholesterol levels by 41% versus semaglutide’s 24%. Survodutide is currently in Phase 3 development for overweight and obese patients with and without type 2 diabetes as well as those with cardiovascular disease, chronic kidney disease or risk factors for cardiovascular disease.
Zealand Pharma’s petrelintide, when added to semaglutide or Eli Lilly’s tirzepatide, achieved “significant, sustained, and greater reduction” in both weight loss and cumulative food intake in obese rats versus the drugs given as a single agent or vehicle.
Petrelintide, an amylin analog, is set to enter Phase 2 development after the drug succeeded in a Phase 1b test last month, sending Zealand’s shares up. The Danish drugmaker, which has described petrelintide as its “crown jewel,” believes the candidate could reach GLP-1 levels of weight loss but with fewer side effects.
Beijing QL Biopharmaceutical teased Phase 1c data from its “ultra long-acting” GLP-1 agonist — ZT002 — in people with obesity or those who are overweight with at least one comorbidity. The 40 mg dose of ZT002 achieved 9.6% weight loss at 12 weeks versus 0.8% for placebo.
The treatment was also linked with “more profound reductions” in waist circumference compared with placebo, the company reported. The trial was conducted at a single site in China.