Weight loss of 24.3%! Novo Nordisk's new generation weight loss drug Amycretin shows positive results in small trials

According to Zhitong Finance APP, Novo Nordisk AS (NVO.US) has developed a new weight loss drug that helped patients successfully lose up to 24.3% of their weight in a small study. This result indicates that the drug has the potential to become a new generation treatment in a competitive market. Researchers reported in two trial reports published in The Lancet that a drug named amycretin showed signs of improving blood sugar levels, with side effects similar to other potent weight loss drugs. The trial results will be announced at the American Diabetes Association meeting in Chicago. In trials of the injectable form of this compound, participants lost 24.3% of their weight over 36 weeks.

For this Danish pharmaceutical company to succeed and stand out in the competitive landscape against Eli Lilly and Company (LLY.US), it must launch a drug like amycretin. Novo Nordisk's current bestseller Wegovy has been surpassed by Eli Lilly's Zepbound in the critical U.S. market, and its next-generation candidate CagriSema has also underperformed in large-scale studies compared to the company's expectations.

Novo Nordisk is actively advancing the research projects needed for amycretin's approval and has stated that it will test both oral and injectable forms of the compound this month. Later-stage trials will begin recruiting patients early next year. Martin Holst Lange, who is responsible for drug development at Novo Nordisk, stated in an interview that the company currently has a "relatively optimistic assessment" of amycretin's weight loss effects and safety potential.

Like CagriSema, amycretin is closer to market readiness and will present detailed clinical trial results at the American Diabetes Association meeting this weekend. Amycretin mimics the gut hormone GLP-1 (the active ingredient in Wegovy) and another substance called amylin.

However, CagriSema combines Wegovy with an amylin-based compound, using a complex dual-chamber injector for formulation, while amycretin integrates both mechanisms into a single molecule, meaning Novo Nordisk can produce it in both injectable and oral forms.

Earlier this year, Novo Nordisk announced results from an early trial showing that patients using amycretin through weekly injections of a 20 mg dose (for 36 weeks) lost 22% of their weight. This result raised investor expectations for the compound. The latest data shows that 24.3% of patients achieved weight loss. These patients received weekly injections of a 60 mg dose over 36 weeks, while those receiving placebo injections lost only 1.1% of their weight during the same period.

Lange stated that Novo Nordisk must first evaluate the possibility of using a 60 mg dose as a treatment before announcing the study results. He mentioned that the company currently plans to include this dosage in its later-stage trial projects but did not specify the range of dosages to be used. Meanwhile, patients taking amycretin tablets orally every day lost up to 13.1% of their weight in just 12 weeks Novo Nordisk stated that the side effects mainly manifest as gastrointestinal symptoms, but one of them is a burning or itching sensation on the skin, known as "paresthesia." In various studies, the occurrence rate of this symptom among different patient groups ranged from 5% to 29%; this effect is temporary and did not lead to patients dropping out of the trial.

According to Tricia Tan, a metabolic medicine consultant at Imperial College London, the drug was safe in the trials. Tan did not participate in these studies but commented on the related research published in The Lancet. Tan wrote that the weight loss effects at the highest dosage are encouraging, although she also pointed out that the trial results for the amycretin injection may be biased, as one-third of the patients dropped out midway—mainly due to reasons unrelated to side effects. She said that subsequent larger-scale studies will reveal its actual efficacy