Weight-loss drug developers line up to tap market worth $150 billion
Updates estimate for obesity drug market size
June 4 (Reuters) -Novo Nordisk's NOVOb.CO Wegovy and Eli Lilly's LLY.N Zepbound are so far the leaders in the weight-loss drug market, which is estimated to be worth about $150 billion by the early 2030s.
But there are several other drug developers aiming to join the bandwagon. The following is a list of publicly listed companies targeting the next big blockbuster opportunity:
NOVO NORDISK
Novo's latest candidate, amycretin, helped obese patients achieve 13.1% weight loss after 12 weeks of treatment. The data compares to a weight loss of about 6% after 12 weeks in a trial for Wegovy.
Novo said it plans to begin a mid-stage study for amycretin in the second half of the year with results due in early 2026.
Novo Nordisk in August reported data from a large study, which showed 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 said in February 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 in November, 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 in December. 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 in June a mid-stage trial of its next-generation obesity drug candidate, a once-weekly injection of retatrutide, led to a weight loss of up to 24.2% after 48 weeks.
PFIZER
Pfizer PFE.N 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.
In June, Pfizer had scrapped the development of its once-a-day pill due to concerns over liver safety.
ROCHE AND CARMOT THERAPEUTICS
Roche ROG.S 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, in November showed a mean weight loss of 14.5% after 12 weeks of treatment at the highest monthly dose.
ALTIMMUNE
Altimmune ALT.O in November 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 VKTX.O said in February its experimental drug, VK2735, helped patients with obesity achieve "significant" weight loss in a mid-stage study.
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 in May.
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.
STRUCTURE THERAPEUTICS
Structure Therapeutics GPCR.O said its experimental oral obesity drug helped reduce weight by 6.2% on average at the end of 12 weeks in a mid-stage study.
Weight-loss drug forecasts jump to $150 billion as supply grows https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/weight-loss-drug-forecasts-jump-150-billion-supply-grows-2024-05-28/
Reporting by Mariam Sunny, Pratik Jain, Sriparna Roy, Leroy Leo and Sneha S K in Bengaluru; Editing by Sriraj Kalluvila, Pooja Desai and Maju Samuel
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