Weight-loss drug competitors are coming to Ozempic, Wegovy, Zepbound
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios
Prospective competitors to newly popular anti-obesity and anti-diabetes drugs are heading toward commercialization.
Why it matters: Booming sales of Novo Nordisk's Ozempic and Wegovy and Eli Lilly's Mounjaro and Zepbound have led to widespread shortages of GLP-1 treatments.
Driving the news: San Diego-based Viking Therapeutics is accelerating development of its own injectable GLP-1 treatment after receiving positive feedback from the Food and Drug Administration.
- The company said that its drug candidate currently dubbed VK 2735 will move into a Phase 3 clinical trial after a Phase 2 trial showed a 15% reduction in body weight after 13 weeks of dosage.
- The successful results mean the treatment will likely make it to the market a year ahead of schedule, BTIG analyst Justin Zelin wrote in a research note.
The impact: Viking shares closed up 28% Thursday, while Lilly's stock fell 4.5% and Novo shares finished down 2.8%.
The big picture: Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly have been overwhelmed with demand for their groundbreaking drugs.
- Both companies have taken steps to build new facilities to shore up production.
- And both have unleashed a flurry of lawsuits against knockoffs in a bid to protect their competitive turf.
What's next: Pill versions of the injectable GLP-1 treatments are under development.
- Viking said a Phase 1 study of an oral version of VK2735 "demonstrated encouraging safety and tolerability, and positive signs of clinical activity."
- And Swiss pharmaceutical giant Roche said last week that an experimental daily pill had delivered average weight loss of 6.1% within four weeks for people experiencing obesity but not diabetes.
- Roche CEO Thomas Schinecker told CNBC today that the medication is part of a broader suite of promising anti-obesity treatments the company is pursuing.
Reality check: Even if Viking's new treatment makes it to the market on its newly accelerated timeline, it still won't be available until 2029, according to Zelin.
The bottom line: The lucrative market for weight-loss drugs is attracting a flurry of competition.
