Wave Life Sciences rises as obesity drug enters combination trial

** Shares of drug developer Wave Life Sciences (WVE.O) rise 1.4% to $4.41 premarket

** The company begins a mid-stage trial of its experimental obesity drug WVE-007 in combination with drugmaker Eli Lilly's weekly obesity and diabetes injectable, tirzepatide

** WVE-007 is an RNA-based treatment designed to promote fat loss while preserving muscle, with the potential for dosing once or twice a year

** The trial will test 240-mg and 400-mg doses of WVE-007 in people with obesity and type 2 diabetes

** In animal studies, WVE-007 combined with a GLP-1 drug doubled weight loss compared with the GLP-1 treatment alone, Wave said

** The company remains on track to start another trial in H2 2026 testing whether WVE-007 can limit weight regain after patients stop incretin-based treatment

** As of the last close, Wave was down 74.4% year to date