Novo Nordisk's Next-Gen Obesity Drug Amycretin Shows 24.3% Weight Loss in Early Trial

SmartCom Finance APP learned that the latest weight-loss drug developed by Novo Nordisk (NVO.US) helped patients successfully lose up to 24.3% of their body weight in a small study. This outcome indicates that the drug is expected to become a new generation treatment in the highly competitive market. In two trial reports published in The Lancet, researchers stated that a drug named amycretin showed signs of improving blood sugar levels, with side effects similar to those of other potent weight-loss medications. The trial results will be announced at the American Diabetes Association conference held in Chicago. In the trial targeting the injectable form of the compound, participants lost 24.3% of their body weight over 36 weeks.

For this Danish pharmaceutical company to succeed and stand out in competitor Eli Lilly's (LLY.US) portfolio, it must launch a drug like amycretin. Novo Nordisk's current blockbuster product, Wegovy, has already been surpassed by Lilly's Zepbound in the crucial U.S. market, while its next-generation candidate drug, CagriSema, also failed to meet the company’s expectations in large-scale studies.

Novo Nordisk is actively advancing its research programs required for the approval of amycretin and announced that this month, the compound will be tested in both oral and injectable forms. Patient recruitment for the late-stage trials will begin early next year. Martin Holst Lange, Novo Nordisk's head of drug development, stated in an interview that the company currently has a "relatively optimistic assessment" of amycretin’s potential for weight loss effects and safety.

Like CagriSema, amycretin is also closer to the market, and detailed clinical trial results will be announced at the American Diabetes Association meeting this weekend. Amycretin mimics both the gut hormone GLP-1 (which is the basis for Wegovy) and another substance called amylin.

However, CagriSema combines Wegovy with an amylin-based compound, formulated using a sophisticated dual-chamber injector, while amycretin integrates these two mechanisms into a single molecule, which means Novo Nordisk can develop it into both injectable and oral forms.

Novo Nordisk earlier this year announced the results of an early-stage trial showing that patients who were given amycretin through weekly injections of a 20 mg dose (over 36 weeks) experienced a 22% reduction in body weight. This result has led investors to hold higher expectations for the compound. The latest data shows that 24.3% of patients achieved weight loss. These patients received injections of a 60 mg dose per week over 36 weeks, while patients who received placebo injections only saw a 1.1% reduction in body weight during the same period.

Lange said that Novo Nordisk must first evaluate the possibility of using a 60-milligram dose as a treatment before releasing the study results. He mentioned that the company currently plans to include this dosage in its late-stage trial program but did not specify the range of dosages to be used. Meanwhile, patients taking amycretin tablets daily experienced weight loss of up to 13.1% within just 12 weeks.

Novo Nordisk stated that the side effects are mainly manifested as gastrointestinal symptoms, but one of them is a burning or itching sensation on the skin, known as "paresthesia." In various studies, the incidence of this symptom ranged from 5% to 29% across different patient groups; this effect is temporary and did not lead to patients withdrawing from the trial.

According to Tricia Tan, a consultant in metabolic medicine at Imperial College London, the drug was safe in trials. Tan did not participate in the studies but provided commentary on the related research, published in The Lancet. Tan wrote that the weight loss results at the highest dose were encouraging, though she noted that the trial results for amycretin injections might be biased as one-third of patients dropped out midway — primarily for reasons unrelated to side effects. She said larger follow-up studies will reveal its actual efficacy.