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

OPKO Health

27/02/2024 18:15

(Updates data from Viking Therapeutics in paragraphs 1, 19 and
20)
       Feb 27 (Reuters) - 
    Viking Therapeutics  VKTX.O  said on Tuesday its
experimental drug helped patients with obesity achieve
"significant" weight loss in a mid-stage study.
  
    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, 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's mid-stage study data showed that VK2735 helped
obese patients achieve "significant" weight loss. 
        VK2735 helped patients achieve up to 14.7% mean weight
loss after 13 weeks of treatment, according to data from the
study, which had enrolled 176 overweight adults with at least
one weight-related comorbidity.
  
    
    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, Leroy
Leo and Sneha S K in Bengaluru; Editing by Sriraj Kalluvila and
Pooja Desai)
 ((Mariam.ESunny@thomsonreuters.com;))