GLP-1
The FDA’s approval of Eli Lilly’s obesity drug Zepbound intensifies an already heated battle with Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy in the lucrative weight-loss drug market, as other drugmakers hope to get a piece of the action.
In response to skyrocketing demand for its weight-loss drug Wegovy, Novo Nordisk announced Friday it is investing more than $6 billion to expand production capacity in its home country of Denmark.
In a bid to join Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk in the lucrative, high-growth obesity market, AstraZeneca is investing in a Phase I oral GLP-1RA candidate from Shanghai-based biotech Eccogene.
Lilly’s Zepbound (tirzepatide) injection is the first and only approved treatment that activates two incretin hormone receptors, GIP and GLP-1, to treat obesity and excess weight.
With headwinds in the wider biotech sphere, the third quarter showed continuing vulnerabilities in the COVID space while the weight-loss drugs drove blockbuster sales.
Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy and Eli Lilly’s Mounjaro drove blockbuster sales in the third quarter and the sky’s the limit for the duopoly. The only limiting factor is that the frenzied demand for their respective drugs is outpacing supply.
Sales of type 2 diabetes treatment Mounjaro brought in $1.4 billion in the third quarter. However, the company cut its full-year profit guidance due to charges mainly related to recent acquisitions.
The country is considering restricting the use of Novo Nordisk’s Ozempic to just type 2 diabetes and prohibiting its prescription for weight loss as the company struggles with continued supply constraints.
The non-alcoholic steatohepatitis space is still a “big mystery,” analysts tell BioSpace, but its connection to weight loss could provide an additional opportunity for contenders.
Patients in a late-stage trial treated with Eli Lilly’s GIP and GLP-1 receptor agonist saw a 21.1% mean body weight reduction over 72 weeks following an intensive lifestyle intervention program.
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