The battle for market share between the 2 leaders within the booming weight problems drug sector has a brand new information 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, therapy with Zepbound led to 47% larger relative weight reduction in comparison with Wegovy, Lilly introduced Wednesday. The pharmaceutical large mentioned extra particulars will likely be revealed and offered at a medical assembly subsequent yr. However these outcomes present proof {that a} drug that hits two metabolic targets results in larger discount in weight, which may give Lilly an edge because it seeks positive factors 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. In contrast, Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy targets solely the GLP-1 receptor. Each medication 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 examine particularly excluded those that have kind 2 diabetes. Contributors had been randomly assigned to obtain Zepbound or Wegovy for 72 weeks. The primary objective was to measure the p.c 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 acquired 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 contributors receiving Zepbound achieved not less than 25% physique weight reduction. Within the Wegovy arm, 16.1% of contributors achieved that mark.
“Given the elevated curiosity round weight problems drugs, we performed this examine to assist well being care suppliers and sufferers make knowledgeable choices about therapy alternative,” 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 examine was much like earlier assessments of its drug. This whole class of medication that mimic intestine hormones comes with gastrointestinal unwanted effects that lead some sufferers to discontinue therapy. The Section 3 medical trial outcomes that supported Zepbound’s FDA approval final yr confirmed unwanted effects reminiscent of nausea, diarrhea, and vomiting. Lilly mentioned Wednesday that essentially the most generally reported opposed occasions in Zepbound’s Section 3 program had been gastrointestinal and had been categorised as gentle to average in severity.
Zepbound has quick turn into one in every of Lilly’s high 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 achieve market share over Wegovy, Leerink Companions analyst David Risinger mentioned in a Wednesday notice despatched to traders. However he identified that Lilly didn’t disclose a comparability of the tolerability of those drugs, which may very well be one other level of differentiation past the magnitude of weight reduction. A cross-trial comparability of historic information from unbiased Section 3 assessments of every treatment confirmed higher tolerability for Zepbound in comparison with Wegovy, with the Novo Nordisk product posting increased charges of nausea and vomiting, Risinger mentioned. He added that he’s trying ahead to the publication and presentation of the head-to-head information in 2025 for extra particulars on this comparability.
There are different firms growing weight reduction medication that focus on each GLP-1 and GIP. Viking Therapeutics has reached Section 3 testing with VK2735, a once-weekly injectable treatment designed to activate each the GLP-1 and GIP receptors. Viking may stand other than the sector with an oral model, which final month posted encouraging Section 1 information.
Amgen can also be going after each GLP-1 and GIP with a drug known as MariTide. However one key distinction with Amgen’s drug is that moderately 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 corresponding 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 embody retatrutide, a peptide engineered to hit GLP-1, GIP, and a 3rd goal — the glucagon receptor. Final yr, Lilly reported Section 2 outcomes exhibiting this triple mechanism achieved larger weight discount than GLP-1 and GIP activation. Outcomes had been revealed within the New England Journal of Drugs. Retatrutide’s late-stage medical improvement contains assessments underway in weight problems and sort 2 diabetes.
Picture by Eli Lilly