Amgen wants in on the booming weight loss drug market — and it’s taking a different approach

Amgen
is
taking
a

new
approach
as
it
tries
to
stand
out
in
a
crowded
field
of

drugmakers
racing
to
develop
the
next
blockbuster

weight
loss
drug.

The
biotech
company
is
testing
an

injectable
treatment
that
helps
people
lose
weight
differently
from
the
existing
injections
from


Novo
Nordisk
and


Eli
Lilly,
and
other
obesity
medicines
in
development.
Amgen’s
treatment,
called
MariTide,
also
appears
to
help
patients
keep
weight
off
after
they
stop
taking
it.  

The
drugmaker
is
also
testing
its
drug
to
be
taken
once
a
month
or
even
less
frequently,
which
could
offer
more
convenience
than
the
weekly
medicines
on
the
market. 

It’s
too
early
to
say
how
competitive
Amgen
will
be
in
the
budding
weight
loss
drug
space,
which
Novo
Nordisk
and
Eli
Lilly
have
so
far
dominated.

Some
analysts
expect
the
market
could
be
worth

$100
billion
by
the
end
of
the
decade,
potentially
leaving
room
for
new
competitors
to
enter.
Goldman
Sachs
also

projects
that
between
10
million
and
70
million
Americans
will
be
taking
weight
loss
drugs
by
2028.

The
available
data
on
Amgen’s
injectable
drug
is
promising,
but
it’s
from
a
small,
early-stage

clinical
trial.
The
Thousand
Oaks,
California-based
company
also
is
developing
an
oral
medicine
and
other
treatments
for
obesity,
but
has
disclosed
few
details
about
them. 

Investors
and
health
experts
will
likely
get
a
better
idea
of
Amgen’s
prospects
later
this
year:
The
drugmaker
expects
to
release
initial
data
from
an
ongoing
mid-stage
trial
on
MariTide,
along
with
phase
one
data
on
its
obesity
pill. 

It’s
also
unclear
whether
Amgen’s
treatments
will
be
cheaper
than
the
existing
weight
loss
drugs,
which
cost
around
$1,000
per
month.

Wegovy
from
Novo
Nordisk
and
Zepbound
from
Eli
Lilly
lead
a
new
class
of
obesity
treatments
that
has
drawn
unrelenting
patient
demand
—
and
investor
interest
—
despite
their
hefty
price
tags
and
limited
insurance
coverage. 

Eli
Lilly
and
Novo
Nordisk
have
also
struggled
to
offer
enough
supply
of
their
treatments,
which
could
give
other
companies
a
chance
to
win
market
share.  

Amgen’s
drug
offers
a

new
twist
on
weight
loss. 

Much
like
Wegovy
and
Zepbound,
one
part
of
Amgen’s
treatment
activates
a
gut
hormone
receptor
called
GLP-1
to
help
regulate
a
person’s
appetite. 

But
while
Zepbound
activates
a
second
hormone
receptor
called
GIP,
Amgen’s
drug
blocks
it.
Wegovy
does
not
target
GIP,
which
suppresses
appetite
like
GLP-1
but
may
also
improve
how
the
body
breaks
down
sugar
and
fat.

Amgen’s
decision
to
tamp
down
rather
than
boost
GIP
activity
is
based
on
genetics
research
suggesting
that
blocking
the
receptor
is
linked
to
lower
fat
mass
and
body
weight,
company
executives
have
said. 

That
appears
to
contradict
how
Zepbound
works.
Eli
Lilly’s
approach
has
proven
successful:
The
treatment
helped
patients
with
obesity
lose
up
to
22.5%
of
their
weight
after
72
weeks
in
a
late-stage
trial.

But
Amgen’s
MartiTide
also
was
effective
in
a
small,
early-stage
study. 

Patients
given
the
highest
dose
of
Amgen’s
drug
—
420
milligrams
—
every
month
lost
14.5%
of
their
body
weight
on
average
in
just
12
weeks,
according
to
data
from
the
phase
one
trial
published
last
month
in
the
journal
Nature
Metabolism. 

There’s
a
broader
debate
among
researchers
about
why
both
approaches
–
blocking
and
activating
GIP
–
are
effective
at
promoting
weight
loss. 

One

theory
is
that
repeatedly
activating
the
GIP
receptor,
as
Zepbound
does,
ultimately
causes
the
body
to “self-regulate”
itself
and
make
sure
there
isn’t
too
much
GIP
activity,
said

Dr.
Caroline
Apovian,
a
director
of
the
Center
for
Weight
Management
and
Wellness
at
Brigham
and
Women’s
Hospital.

That
decreases
GIP
activity
overall,
which
is
thought
to
essentially
mimic
what
Amgen’s
drug
achieves
when
it
blocks
the
GIP
receptor.
But
Apovian
cautioned
that “none
of
this
is
proven”
and
more
data
is
needed.

Amgen’s
treatment
may
be
better
at
helping
people
maintain
weight
loss
than
competitors,
even
though
patients
take
it
less
frequently,
early-stage
trial
data
suggests.

Amgen’s
study
enrolled
110
patients
with
obesity
but
not
diabetes.
Patients
in
one
group
were
randomly
assigned
to
receive
a
single
dose
of
the
drug
and
were
followed
for
150
days,
while
a
second
group
was
given
a
dose
every
four
weeks
for
three
months. 

Patients
who
received
a
single
shot
of
the
highest
dose
of
MariTide
lost
up
to
8.2%
of
their
body
weight
after
92
days.
That
suggests
a
single
injection
of
the
drug
has
a
prolonged
weight
loss
effect,
according
to
the
study
authors. 

In
the
group
that
received
multiple
doses
of
the
drug,
patients
appeared
to
maintain
their
maximum
weight
loss
until
around
two
months
after
their
last
dose.
Their
body
weight
started
to
slowly
return
after
that.
Still,
their
weight
was
as
much
as
11.2%
lower
five
months
after
they
received
the
last
dose. 

“We
think
meaningful
weight
loss
is
already
5%.
If
you
take
Amgen’s
drug,
lose
14.5%,
stop
the
drug
and
still
have
11.2%
weight
loss
after
a
few
months,
that’s
significant,”
said

Dr.
Holly
Lofton,
director
of
the
Weight
Management
Program
at
NYU
Langone
Health
and
an
obesity
medicine
physician.
But
she
pointed
out
the
need
to
study
the
treatment
in
a
larger
group
of
people. 

The
sustained
weight
loss
in
Amgen’s
study
appears
to
contrast
with
results
seen
in
clinical
trials
on
Zepbound
and
Wegovy.
Patients
in
those
studies
saw
their
weight
rebound
sooner
after
stopping
the
injections. 

The
frequency
of
Amgen’s
drug
also
sets
it
apart.
Those
on
Wegovy
or
Zepbound
have
to
take
doses
weekly,
compared
with
the
once-monthly
MariTide. 

Amgen’s
trial
used
monthly
dosing
in
part
because
patients
saw
sustained
weight
loss
whether
they
had
a
single
injection
or
multiple
shots
of
the
company’s
drug,
according
to
the
study
authors. 

Amgen’s
treatment
also
can
stay
in
the
body
for
much
longer
than
current
therapies
like
Wegovy
and
Zepbound
because
it
includes
a
monoclonal
antibody,
the
authors
added. 

Amgen’s
MariTide “has
that
advantage
where
it’s
just
going
to
last
a
lot
longer.
Even
if
you
give
a
high
dose,
you’re
still
going
to
have
drug
exposure
in
the
body
for
a
month
or
two
months,
so
that
clearly
shows
you
don’t
need
to
take
it
every
week,”
William
Blair
&
Company
analyst

Matt
Phipps
told
CNBC.

Phipps
said
people
typically
don’t
want
to
get
injections
often,
so
some
patients
could
prefer
a
monthly
shot
like
Amgen’s
MariTide
for
a
disease
that
will
likely
require
chronic
treatment. 

But
he
noted
that
a
patient’s
choice
may
also
depend
on
whether
the
level
of
weight
loss
and
side
effects
of
Amgen’s
drug
end
up
being
on
par
with
those
of
the
existing
weekly
injections. 

Amgen’s
ongoing
phase
two
trial
is
exploring
whether
patients
can
take
its
drug
even
less
frequently
than
once
a
month. 

Amgen’s
longer-term
phase
two
study
on
nearly
600
patients
will
provide
more
clarity
on
how
competitive
MariTide
will
be
against
Wegovy
and
Zepbound.
The
company
is
exploring
which
dose
strength
and
schedule
is
best
for
patients.
It
expects
to
release
initial
trial
results
later
this
year. 

Some
analysts
have
said
the
phase
two
trial
could
help
address
several
questions,
including
how
well
patients
tolerate
the
treatment
at
different
dose
regimens.

The
52-week
study
is
testing
11
different
patient
groups
at
a
variety
of
dosing
levels
and
regimens.
That
includes
starting
some
patients
at
a
lower
dose
of
a
drug
and
gradually
increasing
it
until
they
reach
a
higher
target
dose. 

That
dose
escalation
could
help
reduce
side
effects
that
some
patients
experienced
after
taking
their
first
dose
of
MariTide
in
the
phase
one
trial,
according
to
Phipps.

In
that
trial,
the
safety
and
side
effects
of
Amgen’s
drug
were
similar
to
other
GLP-1
medications.
Nausea
and
vomiting
were
the
most
commonly
reported
side
effects,
and
typically
lasted
for
about
72
hours. 

Four
out
of
eight
patients
in
a
group
receiving
the
highest
dose
of
the
treatment
withdrew
before
getting
a
second
shot
due
to
mild
gastrointestinal
issues,
according
to
the
study.
But
no
other
patients
stopped
taking
the
drug
due
to
adverse
events
across
any
of
the
different
dosing
groups,
Amgen
Chief
Medical
Officer

Paul
Burton
said
during
a
conference
earlier
this
month. 

“It’s
a
little
early
to
jump
to
the
conclusion
that
the
drug
won’t
be
tolerated
by
patients
based
on
this
phase
one
data,”
William
Blair
&
Company’s
Phipps
said.

Another
part
of
Amgen’s
phase
two
trial
will
also
examine
weight
loss
beyond
52
weeks,
which
will
provide
a
clearer
picture
of
how
long
the
drug
is
effective.