July 7 (Reuters) - Kailera Therapeutics' oral obesity drug helped patients lose up to 10.9% of their body weight at week 44 in a late-stage trial in China.
Kailera began a global mid-stage study of the GLP-1 drug, HRS-7535, in April, with data expected in 2027.
The global weight-loss drug market is also entering a new phase as generic rivals loom and U.S. prices slip for blockbuster treatments from Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk.
The fast-changing landscape has prompted Wall Street to rethink long-held
forecasts of a $150 billion market within the next decade.
Here are the companies racing to develop oral obesity drugs in the hopes of making their mark in a lucrative market:
NOVO NORDISK
Novo was the first company to launch a GLP-1 pill for obesity after securing the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval in December.
The European Medicines Agency recommended approval of the Wegovy pill in May, clearing the way for it to become the first oral obesity pill to enter European markets.
Novo secured U.S. clearance for the Wegovy pill in December, over three months ahead of rival Eli Lilly, which won approval for its weight-loss pill orforglipron in April.
ELI LILLY
Orforglipron, the company's once-daily oral non-peptide GLP-1 agonist, branded as Foundayo, helped overweight adults without diabetes lose 12.4% of their body weight over 72 weeks at the highest dose in a late-stage trial.
In another study, orforglipron helped maintain weight loss in patients switching from its GLP-1 injection, Zepbound, and rival Novo Nordisk's Wegovy.
STRUCTURE THERAPEUTICS
Structure Therapeutics' once-daily pill, aleniglipron, helped patients lose up to 16.3% or 39 lbs on the 180 mg dose after 44 weeks, compared with a placebo, in a mid-stage trial.
The company said in June the pill showed no signs of drug-induced liver injury, while patients continued to lose weight even at lower doses.
Structure plans to begin a late-stage study in the second half of 2026, following an FDA meeting in the second quarter.
MERCK
The company, in partnership with Hansoh Pharma, is preparing to test HS-10535, an oral small-molecule GLP-1 agonist, in early-stage trials. The drug is currently undergoing lab studies.
ASTRAZENECA
AstraZeneca and Eccogene are advancing elecoglipron, a once-daily GLP-1 receptor agonist pill. AstraZeneca said in June patients lost 10.5% of their body weight after 26 weeks in a mid-stage trial of elecoglipron.
The company said the weight loss continued over time and that adults with obesity or overweight who received the highest dose of elecoglipron lost 11.8% of their weight after 36 weeks, the full duration of the trial.
ROCHE
Roche, following its acquisition of Carmot Therapeutics, is working on CT-966, an oral GLP-1 agonist. CT-966 produced placebo-adjusted average weight loss of 6.1% within four weeks in obese patients without diabetes in an early-stage trial last year.
KAILERA THERAPEUTICS
Kailera is also developing a once-daily oral version of ribupatide, its lead candidate, which showed up to 12.1% mean weight loss at 26 weeks in a mid-stage obesity study in China.
VIKING THERAPEUTICS
The company is developing an oral formulation of VK2735, which targets both GLP-1 and GIP hormones that regulate the body's metabolism.
In a mid-stage study, the experimental weight-loss pill helped patients lose 12.2% of their body weight, missing Wall Street's top-end expectations of 15%.
The company plans to initiate a late-stage trial of the drug later this year.
PFIZER
Pfizer entered the obesity drug market with its $10 billion acquisition of obesity drug developer Metsera after a fierce bidding war with Novo.
The drugmaker gained access to two oral, long-acting GLP-1 drugs as part of the deal. Both are being tested in preclinical trials.
Pfizer and Chinese partner Sciwind Biosciences secured approval for their once-weekly weight-loss injection, Xianweiying, in China, adding pressure on approved rivals from Novo, Lilly and Innovent Biologics.
Pfizer had been developing danuglipron, initially as a twice-daily oral GLP-1 agonist, but scrapped development after data from a mid-stage trial showed poor tolerability.
Innovent Biologics
China-based Innovent Biologics' oral GLP-1 weight-loss drug, IBI3032, is being tested in early-stage trials in the U.S. and China.
HuaDong Pharmaceutical
China-based HuaDong Pharmaceutical's oral obesity drug candidate, HDM1002, reduced body weight by up to 6.8% in an early-stage study of overweight or obese participants in China.
Ascletis Pharma
China-based Ascletis Pharma's experimental oral GLP-1 drug, ASC30, showed weight-loss of up to 7.7% in a mid-stage study in the U.S.
(Reporting by Bhanvi Satija, Mrinalika Roy, Padmanabhan Ananthan, Siddhi Mahatole, Mariam Sunny, Sneha S K and Kunal Das in Bengaluru; Editing by Sriraj Kalluvila and Tasim Zahid)
