The successor to Ozempic and Wegovy: Novo Nordisk ready with new candidate
A new and potentially better weight loss remedy is ready for the last stage.
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Novo Nordisk has already appeared as a global heavyweight in the fight against overweight.
Now the Group is further boosting the development of a new remedy that has shown promising results in the laboratories, writes BT
The drug amycretin must now be tested in phase 3 trials-the last major step before a potential approval as a drug against overweight and obesity can come up.
And the results of previous tests speak for themselves. In a previous study, subjects lost an average of 22 percent of their body weight after 36 weeks of treatment at the highest dose. The preliminary results aroused enthusiasm among investors, which sent up the share price by over seven percent of the day – and at one point as much as 14 percent.
Both pill and injection must be tested
The Danish pharmaceutical giant has now been given the green light to test amycretin in two forms – both as a injection and in pill form. The studies are expected to start at the beginning of next year.
« We are very pleased that the feedback from the approval authorities has allowed us to take injected amycretin and in pill form as a weight loss drug to phase 3, » says Martin Lange, research director at Novo Nordisk.
Precisely the phase 3 phase is the last and most comprehensive trial round, where the effectiveness and safety of the drug are tested in far more patients than before. This is where a product really has to prove its worth before authorities can give green light to commercial distribution.
More iron in the fire
However, Amycretin is not alone in the queue of Novo Nordisk’s development projects. The pharmaceutical company also continues to work with the medicine Cagrisema, which combines the known weight loss substance semaglutide with Cagrilin time.
The first phase 3 data for Cagrisema was presented in December, when trial participants achieved a weight loss of an average of 22.7 percent. Here, however, the market had set the bar slightly higher – and expected a weight loss around 25 percent. The disappointment could be seen on the stock exchange where the stock dived.
Nevertheless, Novo has decided to initiate new phase 3 trials with the promising combination agent. The upcoming studies will run over 80 weeks and will include about 600 participants.
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