Novo Nordisk says high-dose experimental obesity pill leads to 15% weight loss

Novo Nordisk's high-dose experimental obesity pill helped overweight oregon obese adults suffer astir 15% of their assemblage weight, according to caller late-stage objective proceedings results.

The Danish institution presented the information astatine a diabetes conference connected Sunday. Novo Nordisk told Reuters it plans to record for Food and Drug Administration support of the cause aboriginal this year.

Novo Nordisk is warring to support its ascendant presumption successful the booming value nonaccomplishment cause market arsenic new competitors similar Eli Lilly and Pfizer make their ain effectual treatments.

Novo Nordisk's pill is an oral mentation of semaglutide, the progressive constituent successful the company's blockbuster value nonaccomplishment injections Ozempic and Wegovy. Semaglutide mimics a hormone produced successful the gut called GLP-1, which signals to the encephalon erstwhile a idiosyncratic is full. 

Novo Nordisk already has an FDA-approved oral semaglutide, which is marketed nether the marque sanction Rybelsus for the attraction of benignant 2 diabetes. But the highest dose of Rybelsus is 14 milligrams, portion the company's experimental obesity pill has a acold larger dose of 50 milligrams. 

The signifier 3 proceedings followed 667 obese and overweight adults who did not person benignant 2 diabetes.

Patients who took 50 milligrams of the pill erstwhile a time for 68 weeks saw an mean value nonaccomplishment of 15.1%, erstwhile they utilized it alongside fare and carnal activity, according to Novo Nordisk. That's compared with 2.4% for patients who took a placebo.

Around 85% of patients who took the pill mislaid astatine slightest 5% of their assemblage weight, portion lone 26% of those who received the placebo did. 

The value nonaccomplishment besides led to "improvements successful carnal functioning, allowing participants to person an improved prime of beingness for mundane activities," Dr. Filip Knop, an endocrinology prof astatine the University of Copenhagen who worked connected the study, said successful a statement. 

The caller information suggests that the high-dose pill whitethorn beryllium arsenic effectual arsenic Novo Nordisk's play Wegovy injection, which besides resulted successful astir 15% value loss aft 68 weeks. 

But a pill would service arsenic a acold much convenient mode to dainty obesity. 

Knop said offering the pill to the nationalist would "allow radical who conflict to suffer value with fare and carnal enactment unsocial to instrumentality this effectual medicine successful a mode that champion suits them."

Other companies are besides processing oral value nonaccomplishment treatments to appeal to those who don't privation play injections. 

Overweight oregon obese patients who took Eli Lilly's experimental pill orforglipron mislaid 14.7% of their assemblage value aft 36 weeks, according to mid-stage objective proceedings results the institution released Friday. 

Pfizer is besides processing its ain value nonaccomplishment pill called danuglipron, which patients instrumentality doubly a day.

But the pharmaceutical elephantine connected Monday said it would stop developing its different experimental oral drug, lotiglipron, owed to elevated liver enzymes successful patients.

Companies started focusing much connected the value nonaccomplishment manufacture aft Novo Nordisk's Ozempic and Wegovy catapulted to the nationalist spotlight successful caller years.  

Social media influencers, Hollywood celebrities and adjacent billionaire tech mogul Elon Musk person reportedly utilized the fashionable injections to get escaped of unwanted weight. 

That popularity sparked wide shortages and an summation successful cheaper knockoffs of the drugs. 

Shortages and different factors similar precocious out-of-pocket costs without security oregon unpleasant broadside effects person forced immoderate radical to halt taking Ozempic oregon Wegovy. Many users person complained of a rebound successful value that's hard to control.

More than 2 successful 5 adults have obesity, according to the National Institutes of Health. About 1 successful 11 adults person terrible obesity.