Danish pharma giant Novo Nordisk A/S is set to launch its blockbuster glucagon-like peptide-1 therapy, Wegovy (semaglutide), in South Korea’s growing obesity therapeutics market next week, a company official confirmed to BioWorld.
Neurobo Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Cambridge, Mass., reported top-line phase Ia study results of its obesity drug candidate, DA-1726, Sept. 30, causing the company’s shares to lose 11.7% of their value over two days.
Two leading glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists for obesity and type 2 diabetes – Novo Nordisk A/S’s semaglutide (Wegovy/Ozempic) and Eli Lilly and Co.’s tirzepatide (Mounjaro/Zepbound) – are advancing in China after taking the U.S. market by storm.
Chinese pharmaceutical and biotech companies are leading development of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists as Novo Nordisk A/S and Eli Lilly and Co. edge closer to launching blockbuster therapies in China. At the heart of the GLP-1 boom is a nationwide obesity problem driven by a confluence of factors, including the rise of a modern, sedentary lifestyle, according to Clarivate. Despite the rising prevalence of obesity and type 2 diabetes, the gap in obesity therapeutics is “substantial and leaves a solid market opportunity for weight loss drugs,” Karan Verma, principal analyst of healthcare research & data analytics at Clarivate, said.
Chinese pharmaceutical and biotech companies are leading development of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists as Novo Nordisk A/S and Eli Lilly and Co. edge closer to launching blockbuster therapies in China. At the heart of the GLP-1 boom is a nationwide obesity problem driven by a confluence of factors, including the rise of a modern, sedentary lifestyle, according to Clarivate. Despite the rising prevalence of obesity and type 2 diabetes, the gap in obesity therapeutics is “substantial and leaves a solid market opportunity for weight loss drugs,” Karan Verma, principal analyst of healthcare research & data analytics at Clarivate, said.
Two leading glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists for obesity and type 2 diabetes – Novo Nordisk A/S’s semaglutide (Wegovy/Ozempic) and Eli Lilly and Co.’s tirzepatide (Mounjaro/Zepbound) – are advancing in China after taking the U.S. market by storm. China represents the world’s largest population of diabetes and obesity patients. Its GLP-1 market, valued at about $1.7 billion in 2023 according to Clarivate, is expected to grow as the number of obesity patients is projected to exceed 500 million by 2033.
A long-term look at obese and overweight patients with pre-diabetes found that weekly injections of Eli Lilly and Co.’s tirzepatide led to a 94% reduction in their risk of progression to type 2 diabetes compared to placebo – a result that Leerink Partners analyst David Risinger called “exceptional.”
Viking Therapeutics Inc. is diving more deeply into developing obesity treatments and investors like an accelerated timetable the company has proposed. On June 25, Viking shares (NASDAQ:VKTX) catapulted 28.3% upward to close at $64.68 each.
In the wake of Novo Nordisk’s semaglutide nabbing the title of the U.S.’s biggest blockbuster drug, it’s little surprise that Amgen Inc.’s obesity candidate, Maritide (maridebart cafraglutide), hogged the stage during the firm’s first-quarter earnings call after market close May 2, with company executives touting promising phase II data and a differentiated profile, sending shares of Thousand Oaks, Calif.-based Amgen (NASDAQ:AMGN) up nearly 12% to close May 3 at $311.29.
There was a time not that long ago when Merck & Co. Inc.’s Keytruda (pembrolizumab), with its multiple cancer indications, was seen as the heir apparent to Humira’s title of the biggest blockbuster drug. Not anymore. That title now belongs to Novo Nordisk A/S’ semaglutide, approved as Ozempic in 2017 to treat diabetes and as Wegovy in 2021 to help with weight loss.
