Danish company Novo Nordisk announced a ‘Phase 1 clinical trial’ of its new weight loss pill amycretin reduced body weight by 13% over 3 months – a significantly higher figure than the 6% seen with its established drugs Ozempic and Wegovy.
While medical experts ‘emphasised the need for more comprehensive research to verify the long-term benefits and safety profile of amycretin’, Novo Nordisk’s stock value surged by over 8% following the drug’s presentation at an investor meeting on March 7.
The worldwide interest in the new class of medications known as GLP-1 agonists ‘has propelled Novo Nordisk to become the most valuable company in Europe, despite facing significant supply shortages due to high demand’ reported medicalnewstoday.com. Importantly, amycretin is taken orally as a pill – in contrast to semaglutide medications like Ozempic and Wegovy, and competitor Eli Lilly’s Mounjaro and Zepbound (tirazepide) which are all administered via a weekly injection.
Similar to the earlier drugs, amycretin works by emulating the GLP-1 hormone that suppresses appetite; in addition it also imitates another hormone amylin.
The Phase 1 trial of amycretin involved 16 participants with an average weight of 89kg; those who received a placebo experienced a 1% decrease in body weight over a 12-week period.
Dr Simon Cork from UK’s Anglia Ruskin University (not involved in the research) said the results ‘are exciting as they demonstrate what appears to be another effective drug in the rapidly growing weight loss field.
‘However we must await peer-reviewed published clinical trials before we can say for certain how this drug compares with others.’
Dr Mir Ali at California’s Orange Coast Medical Center (also not involved in the research) agreed it was ‘exciting news that another medication that appears more effective than the ones currently available is in development.
‘However a phase 1 trial is the initial trial to show clinical effectiveness and safety in human subjects. Typically, additional research is then conducted to look more closely at long-term side effects and effectiveness.’
