Hansoh’s olatorepatide achieved 19% weight loss at 48 weeks in a Phase 3 trial in China, handing partner Regeneron a glimmer of hope for a pipeline in desperate need of reinvigoration.

Original title: “Regeneron’s Weight Loss Partner Hansoh Delivers Much-Needed Phase 3 Win in China”

An amylin-targeting medicine at the center of the companies’ multibillion-dollar alliance spurred less weight loss than investors had hoped, leading some analysts to question its ability to stand out.

Original title: “Roche, Zealand shares fall on ‘undifferentiated’ obesity drug results”

The clearance in China comes weeks after Pfizer acquired rights to the therapy. Elsewhere, Alnylam is looking for “novel” cardiovascular targets and investors sold off Helus shares.

Original title: “Pfizer nabs first obesity approval; Alnylam, Tenaya search for heart drugs”

Zealand Pharma’s shares fell 32% in early morning trading Friday after its Roche-partnered asset petrelintide failed to meet investor expectations in a mid-stage clinical trial.

Original title: “Roche, Zealand’s Amylin Weight Loss Drug Fails To Clear Lilly’s Bar”

A service tailored to people with workplace-based insurance coverage represents a new way for Lilly to bypass insurers and expand use of its popular obesity shot.

Original title: “Lilly targets employers in new bid to broaden access to obesity drugs”

Having targeted Hims & Hers last year, the FDA has issued warnings to more telehealth companies over their promotion of GLP-1 drugs used to treat diabetes and obesity. In one case, compounded products were linked with multiple ER visits.

Original title: “FDA Sends 30 Warning Letters To Continue Clampdown on Compounded GLP-1s”

The agency zeroed in on claims that compounded GLP-1 drugs are comparable to approved medicines. Elsewhere, a blood pressure drug topped Wall Street expectations and a Merck deal paid dividends.

Original title: “FDA again targets GLP-1 compounders; Intellia to restart heart disease trial”

Infrastructure and location have helped make Holly Springs a future hub for obesity drug production, with Amgen and Roche planning to manufacture GLP-1 therapies there to compete in the growing market.

Original title: “How North Carolina Attracted Amgen and Roche To Become a Next-Gen Obesity Drug Production Hotspot”

As Novo Nordisk continues to lose ground in the obesity market to rival Eli Lilly, the Danish company has started construction projects to establish the ex-Alkermes plant as a hub for supplying oral GLP-1 products to global markets.

Original title: “Novo Commits $506M To Repurpose Irish Plant for Oral Wegovy Production”

Orforglipron, which could be approved for obesity next quarter, proved superior at cutting blood sugar and body weight — but at the expense of higher side effect rates.

Original title: “Lilly’s GLP-1 pill tops Novo’s Rybelsus in head-to-head trial”

Novo Nordisk reported a loss in a head-to-head trial of CagriSema against Lilly’s Zepbound earlier this week. This time around, Lilly's orforglipron bested Novo's oral semaglutide in blood sugar control and weight reduction—albeit with a few extra discontinuations as compared to its rival.

Original title: “Lilly Tops Novo in Weight Loss Again, This Time on the Oral Front”

After its next-generation obesity asset CagriSema lost a head-to-head matchup with Eli Lilly’s Zepbound, Novo Nordisk is throwing more money into the obesity space, striking a deal with Vivtex to advance novel weight loss pills.

Original title: “Novo Leans Into Oral Route With Weight Loss Partnership Worth up to $2.1B”

The potentially $2.1 billion collaboration gives Novo access to technologies that are meant to help optimize the delivery of oral biologic medicines.

Original title: “With Vivtex deal, Novo gains a chance at better oral obesity drugs”

Slate Medicines will move forward with a migraine drug from a Chinese biotech, while Alveus Therapeutics will advance a dual GLP-1/GIPR fusion protein for weight loss.

Original title: “Slate, Alveus Raise Hefty Series A Hauls for Migraine, Obesity Drugs”

Wegovy and Ozempic’s list prices will be reduced by as much as 50% effective next year. Elsewhere, Palvella’s market value surged past $1 billion while Pfizer nabbed rights to another obesity drug.

Original title: “Novo to cut GLP-1 drug prices; Palvella soars on study data”

Novo’s answer to a closely watched Lilly drug spurred roughly 20% weight loss after 24 weeks in a Phase 2 trial, results one of its executives claimed to be “differentiating.”

Original title: “Novo, searching for a spark, spotlights new data for three-pronged obesity drug”

Part of AbbVie’s vow to invest $100 billion in the U.S. over the next decade, the two Illinois facilities will make active ingredients for next-generation neuroscience and obesity drugs when they start operations in 2029.

Original title: “AbbVie Backs Obesity Push With $380M API Production Expansion Project in Illinois”

Shares fell by more than 15% on results showing study participants receiving Novo’s CagriSema lost less weight than those who took Lilly’s Zepbound.

Original title: “Novo’s next-gen obesity shot fails to match Lilly drug in head-to-head study”

Head-to-head trials are often reserved for approved therapies as drugmakers try to one-up each other to gain further market share. In this case, Novo Nordisk ran the test at the candidate stage, and the bet did not pay off.

Original title: “Novo’s CagriSema Falls to Lilly’s Zepbound in Daring Head-to-Head Test”

In this episode of Denatured, you'll be listening to Jane Hughes, President of R&D and Co-founder of Verdiva Bio, and Jon Rees, CEO and Co-founder of MitoRx Therapeutics. We'll discuss next-generation obesity solutions tackling GLP-1's muscle loss and adherence challenges, through innovative muscle preservation, oral administration and combination therapy.

Original title: “Redefining Obesity Treatment Beyond GLP-1 Limits”