Similar to the findings seen with other experimental obesity tablets, Novo Nordisk reported that a high-dose oral form of its medicine, semaglutide resulted in a 15% reduction in body weight in people who were obese.
The high-dose tablet will be submitted for U.S. and European regulatory clearance later this year, but Novo’s medical director Mico Guevarra says the market launch date is “to be determined.”
Wegovy and Ozempic are once-weekly injectable brands of semaglutide used to treat obesity and diabetes, respectively. The Danish manufacturer has faced supply challenges and failed to keep up with growing demand in the United States. The amount of semaglutide in Wegovy is 2.4%.
Researchers and investors have renewed interest in the weight-loss therapy industry, expected to exceed $100 billion by the end of the decade thanks to a new class of drugs meant to stimulate hormones that regulate blood sugar, limit stomach emptying, and lower hunger.
Oral semaglutide is available for treating type 2 diabetes from Novo Nordisk under the brand name Rybelsus; however, the greatest dose available is just 14 mg.
The 50-mg dosage was examined in a late-stage experiment including 667 obese and overweight people, with results indicating an average weight reduction of 15.1% after 68 weeks when combined with diet and exercise compared to 2.4% in the placebo group.
These findings are consistent with the early results from the late-stage trial that the business shared in May.
The FDA labeling for semaglutide taken orally states that it should be taken in the morning 30 minutes before eating or taking any other oral drug; only 4 ounces of plain water may be consumed. Its effectiveness decreases if you eat within 30 minutes of taking the tablet, but it may improve if you wait longer.
Theoretically, patients who don’t want to inject themselves weekly may also be interested in obesity medicines being developed by other firms that don’t have similar dietary limitations.
Study presenter and endocrinology professor at Gentofte Hospital, University of Copenhagen, Dr. Filip Knopf, reported that 20% to 25% of patients prefer a daily tablet over a weekly semaglutide injection.
Eli Lilly presented mid-stage study data on its experimental tablet orforglipron at the American Dietetic Association convention on Friday, showing that the highest dose caused patients who were obese or overweight to lose nearly 15% of their body weight after nine months, with no sign of weight loss plateau.
Patients with type 2 diabetes could lower their blood sugar levels by as much as two percentage points when they took oral semglutide once daily, at a dosage of up to 50mg, according to results from a separate late-stage experiment presented at the ADA meeting.
