Factbox: Drugmakers bulk up with bets on weight-loss treatments

Nxera Pharma

12/05/2023 12:08

May 12 (Reuters) - Zealand Pharma  ZELA.CO  and partner
Boehringer Ingelheim on Wednesday announced positive trial data
for their weight-loss treatment and joined the race for a share
of a global obesity drug market that is expected to touch $100
billion within a decade.
    More than half a dozen companies are developing weight-loss
therapies similar to Novo Nordisk's  NOVOb.CO  Wegovy, with Eli
Lilly and Co's  LLY.N  tirzepatide widely expected to be the
next to hit the market.
    The following is a list of companies targeting the next big
blockbuster opportunity: 
    
    NOVO NORDISK
    Novo Nordisk's  NOVOb.CO  weekly injection Wegovy was
approved in 2021. It works by mimicking a hormone called
glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) that triggers the feeling of
fullness in the body after eating.
    The company also had an older product Saxenda, approved in
2014, but Wegovy is considered safer and more effective.
    Novo said last week it would have to halve the supply of
starter doses of Wegovy in the U.S. to cope with high demand.
 
    ELI LILLY
    Eli Lilly  LLY.N  said last month its diabetes treatment
Mounjaro helped people with type 2 diabetes who were also obese
or overweight to lose nearly 16% of their body weight in a large
trial.
    The drug, also known as tirzepatide, is expected to receive
a U.S. approval for weight loss later this year. 
    Tirzepatide activates the body's receptors for gastric
inhibitory polypeptide (GIP) and GLP-1, which are natural
hormones and found in areas of the brain important for appetite
regulation.
    
    PFIZER
    Pfizer Inc  PFE.N  and Japanese partner Sosei Heptares'
 4565.T  experimental oral GLP-1 drug, PF-07081532, is being
tested in a mid-stage trial to treat type 2 diabetes and
obesity. 
    The company said it plans to enroll some patients in its
late-stage trial who have already used Wegovy or Mounjaro to
show they can effectively switch to Pfizer's oral alternative.
 
    AMGEN    
    Amgen Inc's  AMGN.O  experimental obesity drug, AMG133, 
showed promising durability trends in an early-stage trial late
last year.
    The drug candidate showed mean weight loss of 14.5% after 12
weeks of treatment at the highest monthly dose. It has a dual
mechanism which targets GLP-1 and GIP.
    The company said it plans a larger mid-stage study this
year.
      
    ALTIMMUNE
    Altimmune Inc  ALT.O  in March said its experimental obesity
drug, pemvidutide, helped reduce weight by over 10% on average
in a mid-stage trial.
    However, the drug candidate also showed safety concerns with
patients experiencing nausea and vomiting of mild and moderate
severity. 
    Pemvidutide is a dual action drug that targets GLP-1 and
also imitates another gut hormone called glucagon, which helps
burn more fat when exercising and prevents the harmful build-up
of fat in the liver.
    
    VIKING THERAPEUTICS
    Viking Therapeutics Inc's  VKTX.O  experimental obesity
drug, VK2735, showed up to 6% reduction in mean weight in an
early-stage study.
    The company plans to test higher doses of the drug over a
longer treatment window in a mid-stage trial and expects results
from an early-stage extension study to evaluate oral doses by
the middle of the year. 
     VK2735 is also a dual action drug that targets both GLP-1
and GIP receptors. 
    
    ZEALAND PHARMA 
    Denmark's Zealand Pharma  ZELA.CO  and Boehringer
Ingelheim's  experimental obesity treatment achieved up to 14.9%
weight loss in a mid-stage trial on Wednesday.
    The drug candidate, BI 456906, also targets GLP-1 and GIP
receptors.
    
    OPKO HEALTH
    Opko Health  OPK.O  has completed a mid-stage trial of its
obesity drug, pegapamodutide, that it expects will have fewer
side effects. The current GLP-1 drugs can cause nausea and
vomiting.
   China's LeaderMed has agreed to develop and sell Opko's
compound in the country. The company is also in talks with
larger drugmakers in Western countries for a partnership. 
 

 (Reporting by Mariam Sunny and Pratik Jain in Bengaluru;
Editing by Sriraj Kalluvila)
 ((Mariam.ESunny@thomsonreuters.com;))