Pharmaceutical giants Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk experience significant changes, with Novo Nordisk showing a notable rebound following Eli Lilly's split.
In a significant development in the weight loss drug market, Novo Nordisk has announced promising early results for its dual agonist pill, Amycretin. The data comes from the "ATTAIN-1" study and demonstrates weight loss of up to 13% of body weight over 12 weeks at higher doses [1][2][3][4].
Amycretin targets both GLP-1 and amylin pathways, offering a potential convenience advantage as it comes in an oral, once- or twice-daily pill format. However, higher doses can lead to increased gastrointestinal side effects like nausea and vomiting [2][4]. The drug's lack of weight loss plateau in these early results suggests potential for further weight reduction with extended treatment, but larger and longer trials are still needed to confirm safety and long-term effectiveness.
Eli Lilly is also developing a weight loss pill, Orforglipron, which is a GLP-1 receptor agonist aiming to offer effective weight loss treatment often with a focus on improving tolerability and cardiovascular outcomes. While direct head-to-head data between Amycretin and Orforglipron is not available, Amycretin’s dual-action on amylin receptors may offer a unique mechanism potentially enhancing weight loss beyond what GLP-1 alone achieves [2][4].
With these promising developments, Amycretin could differentiate itself in a competitive market currently led by injectable GLP-1 drugs like semaglutide (Wegovy) from Novo Nordisk. The ability to achieve substantial early weight loss orally may improve patient adherence and broaden the target population. However, Amycretin will need to demonstrate benefits beyond weight loss, such as cardiovascular risk reduction and treatment of comorbidities, to match or exceed the market success of current leaders and respond to the evolving standard of obesity management focused on overall health outcomes [4].
Meanwhile, Eli Lilly aims to submit a marketing application to global regulatory authorities by the end of the year for Orforglipron [5]. The company is making significant investments to meet the expected demand if approvals are granted [6].
It's important to note that the author of this publication holds positions in Novo Nordisk [7]. Additionally, Novo Nordisk revealed details about an extensive Phase-3 program for Amycretin yesterday, along with its Q2 results [8]. However, this article does not provide new information about Novo Nordisk's Amycretin, its Phase-3 program, or its Q2 results.
In a separate development, Camurus, a stock in the AKTIONÄR portfolio, is experiencing a significant turnaround after its results [9]. There are also rumours of a new deal involving Gubra, another AKTIONÄR Portfolio stock, in relation to Novo Nordisk [10].
In conclusion, both Novo Nordisk's Amycretin and Eli Lilly's Orforglipron show strong potential in the weight loss market. Further trials are necessary to confirm safety and long-term effectiveness, and to fully understand their competitive standing against each other.
Science and health-and-wellness are intertwined as two pharmaceutical companies, Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly, are making strides in the weight-management sector. Novo Nordisk's Amycretin, a dual agonist pill, has shown promise in early trials, with potential for weight loss up to 13% over 12 weeks, while Eli Lilly's Orforglipron, a GLP-1 receptor agonist, is also being developed with a focus on improving tolerability and cardiovascular outcomes.
