Factbox: Drugmakers deepen efforts to tap into booming market for obesity drugs

OPKO Health

06/02/2024 12:28

(Adds details on Catalent deal in paragraph 1, Eli Lilly's
sales in paragraph 10; updates headline)
       Feb 6 (Reuters) - Novo Nordisk's  NOVOb.CO  parent
acquired contract drug manufacturer Catalent on Monday, as part
of the Danish drugmaker's efforts to boost production of its
obesity drug Wegovy when competition is heating up.
    Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly  LLY.N  are so far the leaders in
the weight-loss drug market, estimated to be worth $100 billion
by the end of the decade, with their powerful new drugs Wegovy
and Zepbound, respectively. 
    The following is a list of publicly listed companies
targeting the next big blockbuster opportunity: 
     
    NOVO NORDISK
    Novo Nordisk said a large study had shown its highly
effective obesity drug, Wegovy, also had a clear cardiovascular
benefit. Wegovy, which uses the same active ingredient as Novo's
diabetes drug Ozempic, was approved in 2021. 
    The drugmaker in June reported late-stage trial data from a
high-dose oral version of its drug, semaglutide, helping
overweight or obese adults lose 15% of their body weight in a,
which was in line with recent results for other experimental
obesity pills.
    The company on Monday said it will buy three of Catalent's
fill-finish sites - in Anagni, Italy; Brussels, Belgium; and
Bloomington, Indiana - from Novo Holdings for $11 billion to
help boost its production of Wegovy. The sites will be acquired
after Novo Holdings completes its Catalent acquisition.
    
    ELI LILLY
    Eli Lilly's weight-loss therapy, Zepbound, got the green
light from U.S. and UK regulators recently, paving the way for a
powerful new rival to Novo's Wegovy.   
    The company reported $175.8 million in sales of Zepbound in
the first few weeks of its launch. The drug, chemically known as
tirzepatide, has been available as Mounjaro for type 2 diabetes
since 2022 and was used "off-label" for weight loss.
    Lilly said a mid-stage trial of its next-generation obesity
drug candidate, a once-weekly injection of retatrutide, showed
it led to a weight loss of up to 24.2% after 48 weeks.
  
    
    PFIZER
    Pfizer said in December it was stopping further trials of a
twice-daily version of its oral weight-loss drug, danuglipron.
    The decision comes after most patients in a mid-stage trial
dropped out with high rates of side effects such as nausea and
vomiting.   
    The company said it will instead focus on a once-daily,
modified release version of danuglipron. Data on how this
version interacts with the human body is expected next year.
    Pfizer had earlier scrapped the development of its
once-a-day pill in June due to concerns over liver safety. 
    
    ROCHE AND CARMOT THERAPEUTICS
    The company acquired CT-388 as part of its $2.7 billion
buyout of Carmot Therapeutics. Carmot's once-a-week injection
belongs to the same class as Eli Lilly's  LLY.N  Mounjaro, or
Zepbound.
    The newly acquired drug candidate has completed early-stage
trials and is ready to be tested on humans in the second of
three trial stages, Roche said. 
    
    AMGEN    
    Amgen's  AMGN.O  experimental obesity drug, AMG133, showed a
mean weight loss of 14.5% after 12 weeks of treatment at the
highest monthly dose.
      
    ALTIMMUNE
    Altimmune  ALT.O  said 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-stage trial.
    However, patients also experienced nausea and vomiting of
mild and moderate severity. 
    
    VIKING THERAPEUTICS
    Viking Therapeutics Inc's  VKTX.O  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. 
    
    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.
    
    OPKO HEALTH
    Opko Health  OPK.O  has completed a mid-stage trial of its
obesity drug, pegapamodutide, which it expects will have fewer
side effects.

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