Wave Life Sciences plunges after co reports early-stage obesity drug data

Wave Life Sciences

26/03/2026 13:48

Updates

** Shares of drug developer Wave Life Sciences WVE.O fall 56.9% to $5.30

** A higher dose of co's experimental obesity drug failed to show a clear improvement at reducing a dangerous type of belly fat

** A 400 mg dose of the drug, WVE-007, showed only about a 5% reduction in visceral fat after three months, compared with a 14% reduction seen in the 240 mg dose at six months

** A 240 milligram dose showed a placebo-adjusted reduction in body weight of 0.9% after 6 months

** "Net-net, on the face value, this data cut might not meet the Street bars ,thus potentially leading to near-term pressure on stock, but it did provide a few de-risking data points" - Jefferies

     ** Co says the drug was safe and well-tolerated, says it is on track to start a mid-stage study testing  WVE-007 as a monotherapy in individuals with higher BMI and comorbidities in Q2

** Including session moves, stock down 68% YTD

 (Reporting by Sneha S K)

 ((Sneha.SK@thomsonreuters.com;))