Ozempic, which is technically only approved for the treatment of type 2 diabetes but is also often prescribed off-label for weight loss, has certainly earned its reputation due to its widely recognized effectiveness. However, one of the main problems with semaglutide (the active ingredient in Novo Nordisk’s Ozempic and Wegovy) and tirzepatide (the active ingredient in Eli Lilly’s Mounjaro and Zepbound) is the painful side effects they can cause, primarily in the gastrointestinal tract. Now entering the stage is Denmark-based Zealand Pharma, which recently announced that its experimental weight loss drug has helped patients lose significant amounts of weight with fewer side effects.
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At the ObesityWeek conference in San Antonio this week, Zealand revealed that only a third of patients who took up to 4.8 milligrams of the experimental drug petrelintide reported nausea, Bloomberg reported. At the same time, they lost an average of 8.6 percent of their body weight in 16 weeks. (However, the company noted that those who took a higher dose of petrelintide had comparable weight losses with more side effects).
Speaking to Bloomberg, Zealand CEO Adam Steensberg added that petrelintide achieves “the same degree of weight loss with a much more tolerant profile” compared to other treatments available on the market.
Last month, Steensberg also told CNBC that petrelintide — an amylin analog that works differently than GLP-1s — was Zealand’s “crown jewel.” While GLP-1s target the GLP-1 hormone in the gut, amylin analogs target amylin, which is produced along with insulin in the pancreas.
“We have a strong feeling that this could become a staple therapy in the future – something that provides the weight loss that patients are looking for, but with the potential for a better tolerability profile,” Steensberg told CNBC.
Zealand hopes the appeal of fewer side effects will be a big incentive for the treatment. According to Bloomberg, Zealand is taking a slightly different approach as other companies seek to challenge Novo and Eli Lilly by developing pill versions of the weight-loss treatments.
As Steenberg told Bloomberg, “losing the biggest weight loss is not the main concern right now.”
RELATED: What Really Happens When You Stop Taking Ozempic, Doctors Say.
Zealand first reported positive results from the Phase 1b trial of petrelintide in June, with no serious or serious adverse events (AEs) reported by participants. All GI AEs were “mild,” according to a company press release, with one patient reporting two “moderate” events of nausea and vomiting. This participant discontinued treatment after the third dose of petrelintide, but no other patient discontinued treatment due to AEs.
“The data reported from this 16-week study are both exciting and compelling, demonstrating significant and clinically meaningful reductions in body weight with a very favorable tolerability profile. These results support our belief that petrelintide is very well tolerated and may play an important role as an alternative to incretin-based therapies for the treatment of overweight and obesity,” said David Kendall, MD, Zealand’s chief medical officer, in the press release.
Kendall continued, “These data pave the way for rapid progression to Phase 2b testing of petrelintide and continue to support the potential of this long-acting amylin analog to achieve weight loss comparable to GLP-1 receptor agonists, but with a better patient experience.”
