The battle for market share between the 2 leaders within the booming weight problems drug sector has a brand new knowledge level decidedly in favor of Eli Lilly. The Lilly drug Zepbound has topped Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy in a head-to-head medical trial.
In keeping with the preliminary Section 3b outcomes, remedy with Zepbound led to 47% higher relative weight reduction in comparison with Wegovy, Lilly introduced Wednesday. The pharmaceutical large mentioned extra particulars will likely be printed and offered at a medical assembly subsequent 12 months. However these outcomes present proof {that a} drug that hits two metabolic targets results in higher discount in weight, which might give Lilly an edge because it seeks positive aspects in market share and insurance coverage protection of the blockbuster product.
Zepbound’s most important ingredient is a peptide engineered to bind to and activate two targets, the GLP-1 and GIP receptors. Against this, Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy targets solely the GLP-1 receptor. Each medicine are administered as once-weekly injections.
The pinnacle-to-head check enrolled 751 individuals within the U.S. and Puerto Rico with weight problems or chubby in addition to sure related comorbidities, reminiscent of hypertension and heart problems. Nevertheless, the research particularly excluded those that have kind 2 diabetes. Contributors have been randomly assigned to obtain Zepbound or Wegovy for 72 weeks. The principle aim was to measure the % change in physique weight from baseline.
Contributors within the Zepbound cohort confirmed a mean 20.2% loss in physique weight, Lilly mentioned. That interprets to a mean 22.8 kg (50.3 kilos) of weight shed. By comparability, those that obtained Wegovy misplaced a mean 13.7% of their weight, or 15 kg (33.1 kilos). On a key secondary endpoint, Lilly mentioned 31.6% of individuals receiving Zepbound achieved at the very least 25% physique weight reduction. Within the Wegovy arm, 16.1% of individuals achieved that mark.
“Given the elevated curiosity round weight problems medicines, we carried out this research to assist well being care suppliers and sufferers make knowledgeable selections about remedy selection,” Leonard Glass, senior vp of worldwide medical affairs at Lilly Cardiometabolic Well being, mentioned in a ready assertion.
Lilly mentioned the general security profile of Zepbound within the head-to-head research was much like earlier exams of its drug. This whole class of medication that mimic intestine hormones comes with gastrointestinal unintended effects that lead some sufferers to discontinue remedy. The Section 3 medical trial outcomes that supported Zepbound’s FDA approval final 12 months confirmed unintended effects reminiscent of nausea, diarrhea, and vomiting. Lilly mentioned Wednesday that probably the most commonly-reported opposed occasions in Zepbound’s Section 3 program have been gastrointestinal and have been categorized as delicate to average in severity.
Zepbound has quick develop into certainly one of Lilly’s prime merchandise. Within the 9 months ended Sept. 30, Lilly reported greater than $3 billion in Zepbound gross sales. The newest medical trial outcomes ought to assist Zepbound acquire market share over Wegovy, Leerink Companions analyst David Risinger mentioned in a Wednesday be aware despatched to traders. However he identified that Lilly didn’t disclose a comparability of the tolerability of those medicines, which could possibly be one other level of differentiation past the magnitude of weight reduction. A cross-trial comparability of historic knowledge from unbiased Section 3 exams of every remedy confirmed higher tolerability for Zepbound in comparison with Wegovy, with the Novo Nordisk product posting larger charges of nausea and vomiting, Risinger mentioned. He added that he’s trying ahead to the publication and presentation of the head-to-head knowledge in 2025 for extra particulars on this comparability.
There are different corporations creating weight reduction medicine that focus on each GLP-1 and GIP. Viking Therapeutics has reached Section 3 testing with VK2735, a once-weekly injectable remedy designed to activate each the GLP-1 and GIP receptors. Viking might stand aside from the sphere with an oral model, which final month posted encouraging Section 1 knowledge.
Amgen can be going after each GLP-1 and GIP with a drug known as MariTide. However one key distinction with Amgen’s drug is that relatively than activating the GIP receptor, the peptide antibody conjugate blocks this goal. Final week, Amgen reported preliminary Section 2 outcomes exhibiting MariTide achieved weight reduction similar to Lilly’s Zepbound. Amgen goals to distinguish with once-monthly and even much less frequent dosing.
Lilly isn’t settling for simply two targets. It’s R&D efforts embrace retatrutide, a peptide engineered to hit GLP-1, GIP, and a 3rd goal — the glucagon receptor. Final 12 months, Lilly reported Section 2 outcomes exhibiting this triple mechanism achieved higher weight discount than GLP-1 and GIP activation. Outcomes have been printed within the New England Journal of Medication. Retatrutide’s late-stage medical improvement consists of exams underway in weight problems and kind 2 diabetes.
Picture by Eli Lilly
