The ability of obesity medications to impact co-morbidities, reducing the symptoms and costs associated with down-the-road disease, has attracted significant attention throughout the biopharma industry.

The multibillion-dollar market potential for obesity medications that analysts expect in the next decade signifies change is afoot for a patient population historically plagued with unsafe options and generally dismissed by investors and insurers. While glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists have paved the way – offering hope-filled patients the first significant non-surgical weight loss benefit upwards of 15%  – only a small portion of the obesity population and certain overweight patients are treated with medication, and even a smaller percentage receive insurance reimbursement.

The multibillion-dollar market potential for obesity medications that analysts expect in the next decade signifies change is afoot for a patient population historically plagued with unsafe options and generally dismissed by investors and insurers. While glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists have paved the way – offering hope-filled patients the first significant non-surgical weight loss benefit upwards of 15%  – only a small portion of the obesity population and certain overweight patients are treated with medication, and even a smaller percentage receive insurance reimbursement.

Structure Therapeutics Inc.’s stock climbed 34.6% following a readout of what analysts call “competitive” and “exceptional” phase Ib data at 28 days of oral small-molecule glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist GSBR-1290 in healthy overweight or obese individuals. Shares (NASDAQ:GPCR) rose $12.95 to close Sept. 29 at $50.42. At the same time as the data readout, the San Francisco-based company agreed to a $300 million private placement with several large health care institutional and mutual fund investors, extending Structure’s runway through the end of 2026.

Hanmi Science Co. Ltd. is rolling out a new obesity pipeline with five candidates under its relatively new leadership with Lim Ju-hyun, the eldest daughter of Hanmi Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. founder Lim Sung-ki, who serves as president of Hanmi’s global strategy division. Songpa-gu, Seoul-based Hanmi Science is the holding group of its main drug development and production arm, Hanmi Pharmaceutical, and its wholesaler arm, Online Pharm.

Building out its metabolic franchise, Novo Nordisk A/S is buying privately held Montreal-based Inversago Pharma Inc. for up to $1.075 billion, gaining lead asset INV-202, an oral cannabinoid 1 (CB1) inverse agonist. The candidate has demonstrated weight loss potential in a phase Ib trial and is currently in a phase II for diabetic kidney disease. Novo Nordisk’s interest in INV-202 is to explore its potential for obesity and obesity-related complications.

Investors have known for some time that the GLP-1 receptor agonist class offers tremendous promise for treating the underserved obesity population worldwide, but news from Novo Nordisk A/S on cardiovascular outcomes data sent a shiver throughout the space on Aug. 8. Top-line results from the Select trial comparing subcutaneous once-weekly Wegovy (semaglutide) 2.4 mg with placebo showed the treatment reduced major adverse cardiovascular events by a statistically significant 20%.