Ozempic maker Novo Nordisk on Wednesday said data showed its hotly anticipated weight loss pill prompts greater and more rapid weight loss than its blockbuster treatment Wegovy, amid competition from Mounjaro maker Eli Lilly, pharma titans like Pfizer and biotech upstarts.
Novo Nordisk is developing a weight loss pill.
Participants taking Novo Nordisk’s experimental weight loss treatment amycretin lost up to 13% of their body weight over 12 weeks in an early stage Phase 1 clinical trial, according to an abstract of data to be presented at the annual meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes in Madrid on Wednesday.
In the early stage trial, Novo evaluated how patients fared when taking one or two 50 mg amycretin pills a day or an inert placebo.
Patients taking two pills a day lost up to 13% of their body weight after 12 weeks and patients taking one amycretin pill a day had weight loss of more than 10%, according to the abstract data, while those on the placebo had 1.1% weight loss.
While the study does not compare amycretin directly against existing obesity treatments and has not been subjected to external scientific scrutiny by publication in a peer reviewed journal, the results hint at the potential for greater and more rapid weight loss than Novo’s blockbuster injection Wegovy, which was around 6% at 12 weeks.
Novo said the trial suggests the drug is safe and has a similar side effect profile to Wegovy and Ozempic, which commonly includes mild or moderately severe gastrointestinal complaints like nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.
Amycretin targets the same GLP-1 hormone as other weight loss and diabetes drugs like Novo’s Ozempic and Wegovy and Lilly’s Mounjaro and Zepbound, as well as stimulating receptors for another hormone, amylin, which regulates hunger.
The best weight loss drugs on the market at the moment, Lilly’s tirzepatide and Novo’s semaglutide, are only available as injections, which many people find off putting and can be challenging and expensive to produce. Pharma titans like Pfizer, Roche and Novo, are all racing to crack into this lucrative sector with alternatives like weight loss pills and early data suggests they could be as, or even more, effective than current treatments. However, obesity pills are unlikely to replace injections completely. Experts told Forbes oral medications can often come with restrictive dietary practices, like taking it on an empty stomach, that many users find unappetizing, and need to be taken daily rather than less frequent weekly injections. It can also be challenging to find a formulation that works well and is tolerated by patients and the less direct method of delivery means pills often require more of the active ingredient to produce the same effect, a major supply issue given chronic shortages for injections already on the market.
Though the trial is small, Novo’s head of development Martin Lange Holst said the results are promising and justify further clinical research into the pill. Novo is also testing a subcutaneous form of amycretin that, like Wegovy, would be delivered by regular injection. The early stage trial is ongoing and data is expected to be released in 2025. Novo will decide whether to accelerate development of amycretin and proceed directly to a large-scale Phase 3 trial—skipping an intermediate stage of testing to what is often the last stage of testing before a company seeks regulatory approval—in a pill or subcutaneous form once this data is available, Holst reportedly said.
Novo Nordisk has long been a world leader in diabetes but its focus on obesity drugs has helped catapult it to become one of Europe’s most valuable companies. Analysts believe the anti-obesity market is shaping up to be one of the most lucrative opportunities in the history of the pharmaceutical sector, potentially worth as much as $100 billion or more by the end of the decade. Novo, along with another diabetes leader, Eli Lilly, enjoys a virtual duopoly on the sector and both are working hard to fend off upstart competitors like Viking Therapeutics with a pipeline of new drugs and new formulations like pills, as well as bolstering their supply chains to address ongoing shortages. Both are also gathering data that could expand the conditions their drugs are licensed to treat, with promising signs they could reduce the risk of cardiovascular problems and other health issues like sleep apnea.
Novo Nordisk stock jumped more than 2% on Wednesday morning. Novo’s stock has grown nearly 30% since the start of the year.
Get Forbes Breaking News Text Alerts: We’re launching text message alerts so you'll always know the biggest stories shaping the day’s headlines. Text “Alerts” to (201) 335-0739 or sign up here.