Zealand obesity drug petrelintide shows early promise

A recent study by Zealand Pharma, a pharmaceutical company based in Denmark, has shown promising results for their experimental weight loss shot, petrelintide. The study indicates that individuals with obesity experienced up to 9% weight loss over four months. This achievement suggests potential competition for existing weight loss medications from companies like Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly.

Petrelintide belongs to a category of drugs known as amylin analogues. Unlike GLP-1 agonists, such as Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy and Eli Lilly’s Zepbound, amylin analogues operate differently within the body. There is potential for these drugs to be used in combination with GLP-1 agonists to enhance weight loss results. Zealand Pharma disclosed these findings from the second part of a Phase 1 clinical trial. This phase aimed to identify the optimal dose for future, larger studies that could eventually support a new drug application for approval.

The Phase 1 trial included 48 participants with a body mass index (BMI) of 29 or higher. The participants were randomized, with 36 receiving one of three weekly doses of petrelintide, and the remaining 12 receiving a placebo. Data released by Zealand Pharma focused on those given the highest dose of petrelintide, who lost an average of 8.6% of their body weight. In contrast, the placebo group lost an average of 1.7% of their body weight. The company plans to release additional data at an upcoming medical conference.

One-third of the participants taking petrelintide reported experiencing nausea, with one individual discontinuing treatment due to moderate nausea and vomiting. This side effect is not uncommon in weight loss drugs; Wegovy and Zepbound also reported nausea in their clinical trials, affecting around 40% and 30% of participants, respectively.

Zealand Pharma intends to progress petrelintide into Phase 2 trials later in the year. However, this timeline places petrelintide slightly behind other competitive drugs in development. Eli Lilly’s amylin-stimulating drug, eloralintide, is already in Phase 2 trials, while Novo Nordisk’s GLP-1 combination drug, cagrisema, is in Phase 3. Cagrisema combines the amylin analogue cagrilintide with semaglutide, the active ingredient in both Wegovy and Ozempic.

Despite petrelintide lagging behind in the development timeline, Zealand Pharma executives are optimistic about its potential. They claim that petrelintide could emerge as best-in-class based on the current data. Analyst Prakhar Agrawal from Cantor Fitzgerald noted that petrelintide outperformed cagrilintide in a similar trial. In Phase 2 trials, Novo Nordisk’s drug resulted in a 6% weight loss compared to the placebo, while petrelintide showed a 7% margin. Additionally, the Novo drug had higher instances of nausea.

It is important to note that these differences are not conclusive since the two drugs have not been directly compared in a single trial. Zealand Pharma has several other promising candidates in the obesity treatment pipeline. Alongside petrelintide, the company is developing survodutide, a GLP-1 and glucagon-stimulating drug, in collaboration with Boehringer Ingelheim. This drug is currently in Phase 3 trials. Another GLP-1 drug, dapaglutide, is in Phase 2 trials.

Zealand Pharma's advancements in weight loss treatments highlight the evolving landscape of obesity management, with the potential to offer new and effective options for individuals struggling with weight loss.

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