Scholar Rock
Last year, the company said its experimental drug, apitegromab, combined with Lilly's Zepbound, helped patients preserve significantly more lean mass in a mid-stage trial.
In Scholar Rock's study, patients who received a combination of tirzepatide — the active ingredient in Zepbound — and Scholar's apitegromab lost 3.4 pounds of lean mass after 24 weeks, compared with those on tirzepatide alone, who lost 7.6 pounds of lean mass.
AstraZeneca
AstraZeneca in January said it will license experimental drugs for obesity and weight-related conditions from CSPC Pharmaceutical Group and collaborate on other projects, paying $1.2 billion upfront and up to $17.3 billion more if milestones are met.
The newly licensed drug candidates from CSPC include SYH2082, which is designed for once-monthly dosing, which can help patients stick to weight-loss therapy for longer.
The company in June said patients lost 10.5% of their body weight after 26 weeks in a mid-stage trial of its experimental obesity pill, elecoglipron.
Structure Therapeutics
The company said its once-daily pill, aleniglipron, helped patients lose up to 16.3% or 39 lbs on the 180 mg dose after 44 weeks, compared with a placebo, in a mid-stage trial in March.
In June, the company said its experimental GLP-1 obesity pill showed no signs of drug-induced liver injury, while patients continued to lose weight even at lower doses.
Structure said 10.4% of patients taking the experimental small-molecule drug, aleniglipron, discontinued treatment.
Boehringer Ingelheim
Boehringer Ingelheim said in June its experimental obesity drug cut visceral and liver fat while minimizing loss of lean mass in a late-stage study.
The drug, survodutide, licensed from Zealand Pharma, is an injectable that mimics the proteins GLP-1 and glucagon to create a feeling of fullness. Trial results announced in April showed patients lost an average of 16.6% of their weight over 76 weeks.
Kailera Therapeutics
Kailera Therapeutics said in July its oral obesity drug, HRS-7535, known as KAI-7535 outside Greater China, helped patients lose an average 10.9% of their body weight after 44 weeks, compared with 2.5% for placebo, and a mean weight loss of up to 11.1% at week 50.
Kailera is also advancing HRS-7535 in a global mid-stage clinical trial in overweight or obese adults. The trial started in April, with data expected next year.
In February, Kailera's once-daily drug, ribupatide, helped patients lose up to 12.1% body weight at 26 weeks in a mid-stage study in China.
Partner Hengrui Pharma will test oral ribupatide in a late-stage obesity trial in China, while Kailera plans to start a global mid-stage trial this year. An injectable ribupatide is currently being evaluated in a global late-stage study.
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