Global pharmaceutical companies entering the obesity drug market, currently dominated by Denmark's Novo Nordisk and the United States' Eli Lilly, are introducing new strategies to target market entry. They plan to combine other agents with the glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) series they have primarily developed to enhance weight loss effectiveness compared to existing obesity medications.
Switzerland's Roche announced on the 12th (local time) that it has signed a contract to acquire the technology for the obesity drug candidate 'petrelintide' from Denmark's biotech Zealand Pharma.
If petrelintide enters phase 3 clinical trials, the total contract size could reach up to $5.3 billion (approximately 7.68 trillion won), including developmental milestones of $1.2 billion (approximately 1.74 trillion won) and sales milestones of $2.4 billion (approximately 3.48 trillion won). Zealand Pharma is currently conducting phase 2 clinical trials for petrelintide.
Petrelintide is an amylin analog that mimics the hormone amylin secreted by the pancreas alongside insulin, helping to curb hunger. Like GLP-1, it regulates appetite and slows gastric emptying to increase feelings of fullness. Zealand Pharma is developing an amylin analog with long-lasting effects administered via subcutaneous injection once a week.
Roche plans to develop a combination therapy of petrelintide alongside GLP-1 and the glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP), which simultaneously stimulates insulin secretion. They stated that they aim to treat not only weight loss but also cardiovascular, renal, and metabolic (CVRM) diseases in the same manner.
Teresa Graham, Roche's CEO, noted, "I am excited that we will develop a promising therapy that can provide new treatment options for patients suffering from obesity and related comorbidities in collaboration with Zealand Pharma," adding that, "The goal is to positively affect patients' lives by combining petrelintide with substances for treating cardiovascular and metabolic diseases."
Before Roche, U.S. AbbVie also announced its entry into the obesity drug market using amylin analogs on the 4th. The company has signed a license agreement for the obesity drug candidate 'GUB014295' with the Danish pharmaceutical company Gubra. The contract size is reported to be up to 3.2 trillion won. Gubra is currently evaluating the efficacy and safety of GUB014295 in phase 1 clinical trials.
Novo Nordisk, which leads the market with the obesity drug Wigobi, is also developing a follow-up obesity medication using amylin analogs. They are conducting phase 3 trials for the combination drug 'CagriSema,' which consists of cagrilintide and semaglutide, the active ingredient in the GLP-1 series Wigobi. However, while the weight loss effect of CagriSema appears superior to that of Wigobi, it has not achieved the previously stated target weight loss rate of 25%.
Eli Lilly is also conducting phase 2 trials for the amylin analog 'eloralintide,' which is expected to conclude its research in September this year. The British company AstraZeneca is also conducting clinical trials for a combination therapy using the amylin 'AZD6234' and the GLP-1/glucagon (GCG) dual-action drug 'AZD9550.'