Metabolic disorders
Amid shortages of its Mounjaro and Zepbound blockbuster drugs, Eli Lilly on Friday said it is investing an additional $5.3 billion in its production site in Lebanon, Indiana, to boost output of their active ingredient.
Aiming to compete in the lucrative weight-loss drug market, Zealand Pharma on Thursday posted topline results showing its dapiglutide led to only a slight weight reduction in low doses.
Full data from the FLOW study show that Novo Nordisk’s top-selling GLP-1 receptor agonist semaglutide can significantly reduce the risk of death by 20% in diabetes patients with chronic kidney disease.
In advance of Friday’s Endocrinologic and Metabolic Drugs Advisory Committee meeting, the FDA has raised concerns about hypoglycemia linked to Novo Nordisk’s insulin icodec, according to a briefing document.
SixPeaks Bio emerged from stealth Wednesday with up to $110 million, a deal with AstraZeneca and plans to take weight-loss candidates designed to preserve muscle mass toward the clinic.
While Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk currently dominate the GLP-1 receptor agonist space, there are more than 50 candidates in clinical development for obesity and type 2 diabetes, according to analytics firm GlobalData.
A Senate health committee report published Wednesday forecasts spending on prescription drugs to hit $1 trillion a year in 2031, unless the prices of GLP-1 medicines such as Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy are cut.
Eli Lilly’s efsitora alfa, which is meant to be taken weekly instead of multiple times a day, demonstrated non-inferior A1C reduction in a Phase III trial compared to Novo Nordisk’s daily insulin.
Roche’s $2.7 billion acquisition of Carmot Therapeutics in December 2023 appears to be paying off as its investigational GLP-1/GIP receptor agonist induced strong weight loss in a Phase Ib study.
The weight-loss drug bonanza continued in the first quarter of 2024 for Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly, as Amgen also posted strong results, while Biogen and BMS struggled early in the financial year.
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