The company behind popular injectable weight loss drugs such as Ozempic and Wegovy is highlighting the success of a new early-stage trial that achieved significant weight loss using a daily pill.
Novo Nordisk released data on Wednesday from a Phase I trial, revealing that participants who took their new medication, a pill called amycretin, lost up to 13% of their body weight in 12 weeks. The side effects were reported as mild to moderate.
This data was presented at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes meeting in Madrid.
The pill, still years away from market availability, has the potential to change the landscape of obesity treatment—a condition affecting almost 42% of adults in the United States, according to the CDC.
Here are three key things to know about amycretin:
1. It’s only been tested in a small trial.
The data released by Novo Nordisk comes from a small clinical study involving 124 participants.
After 12 weeks, those on the highest doses of amycretin saw a 13.1% reduction in body weight, compared to just a 1.1% weight loss in the placebo group.
Mild to moderate side effects, such as nausea and vomiting, were reported by those taking amycretin.
Because the study involved a relatively small sample size, it may take several years before amycretin is available to the public, according to Dr. Leah Croll, a neurologist based in Philadelphia, who was not involved in the trial.
“The journey from the lab to the pharmacy shelf is often a long one for these types of drugs,” Croll said Thursday on “Good Morning America.”
“It requires several rounds of clinical trials, including larger studies that can take years to complete, so we’re likely looking at a wait of at least a couple of years.”
Croll also emphasized, “Longer-term and larger-scale studies are necessary to fully understand the safety of this medication.”
2. Amycretin targets two types of hormones.
Like Ozempic and Wegovy, amycretin mimics the effects of GLP-1, a hormone that affects various parts of the body, including the brain, muscles, pancreas, stomach, and liver.
Woman says Ozempic helped her stop drinking: Here’s what the research says about its potential effects.
However, amycretin goes beyond GLP-1 by also mimicking a second hormone, amylin, which plays a role in regulating blood sugar and slowing gastric emptying, contributing to a sense of fullness.
3. Its pill form may make it more accessible.
Currently, injectable weight loss medications like Ozempic and Wegovy, which are taken weekly, can cost over $1,000 per month without insurance.
A pill version of semaglutide (the same ingredient in Wegovy), called Rybelsus, is FDA-approved for managing Type 2 diabetes.
If amycretin, which early data suggests is as effective as injectables, becomes available as a pill, it could increase accessibility, according to Dr. Croll.
Ozempic weight loss pills could be on the way: What to know.
Croll noted that injectable medications tend to be more expensive and harder for patients to manage.
“Having a pill that’s more affordable, accessible, and easier to use could be a huge benefit for patients,” Croll said.
