AstraZeneca's experimental oral obesity pill, elecoglipron, achieved a 10.5% average weight loss at 26 weeks in a phase II trial, prompting its advancement to phase III. The weight loss continued to 11.8% at 36 weeks without a plateau, positioning the drug to compete with Eli Lilly's orforglipron and Novo Nordisk's Wegovy in the lucrative market for oral weight-loss therapies.
Elecoglipron phase II results
- ▪The phase II study enrolled 310 adults with obesity or overweight who had at least one weight-related condition
- ▪The most common side effects of elecoglipron were gastrointestinal, including nausea (55%), constipation (41%), diarrhoea (35%), and vomiting (27%)
- ▪Up to 88.8% of participants taking the highest dose of elecoglipron achieved at least 5% body weight loss at 26 weeks
- ▪The placebo group in the elecoglipron trial experienced a 0.6% body weight reduction at 26 weeks and 0.3% at 36 weeks
- ▪In a phase II trial, AstraZeneca's oral drug elecoglipron led to an average body weight reduction of 10.5% at 26 weeks
Sustained weight loss trajectory
- ▪The sustained weight loss without a plateau is seen as a potential commercial differentiator for elecoglipron
- ▪Weight loss from elecoglipron continued to 36 weeks, reaching an 11.8% average reduction, indicating no plateau
Phase III program advancement
- ▪Based on the trial results, AstraZeneca is advancing elecoglipron into a phase III program
- ▪AstraZeneca licensed elecoglipron from China's Eccogene in late 2023 for up to approximately $2 billion
Eli Lilly orforglipron comparison
- ▪Eli Lilly's competing oral drug, orforglipron (Foundayo), produces weight reductions of 8.6% to 12.6% over 26 weeks
- ▪Novo Nordisk's competing Wegovy pill produced about 14% weight loss in its late-stage trial
Oral GLP-1 market competition
- ▪The market for an effective oral GLP-1 therapy is considered a major growth area in pharmaceuticals due to patient preference over injections
- ▪The development of elecoglipron places AstraZeneca in direct competition with market leaders Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk
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