A new experimental drug meant to be taken just once a month could lead to “substantial weight reduction” within a year and help overcome both diabetes and obesity, a new clinical trial suggests.
Results of the trial, published on Tuesday in the journal NEJM, show that Maridebart cafraglutide, or MariTide, could reduce body weight by up to 20 per cent within a year. Even after 12 months of taking the drug, weight loss had not plateaued in the participants, indicating there was potential for further weight reduction.
The drug, developed by pharma company Amgen, targets the same combination of molecules as popular weight loss jabs like Ozempic as well as another pathway involved in insulin release.
Weight loss induced by the new drug was found to be accompanied by improvements in heart health measures such as waist circumference, blood pressure and blood levels of circulating fat molecules.
“The data demonstrates the potential for once monthly or less frequent dosing and are particularly encouraging as we seek sustainable, long-term treatments for people living with obesity, with and without type 2 diabetes,” Ania Jastreboff, a study co-author from the Yale School of Medicine, said.
The phase 2 trial included nearly 600 people categorised into two cohorts – one with obesity and the other with obesity as well as type 2 diabetes.
The obesity group received MariTide subcutaneously at varying doses of 140, 280 or 420mm every four weeks, with the doses carefully increased every few weeks or months for some.
The treatment led to an average 20 per cent weight loss in people living with obesity alone and a nearly 17 per cent mean weight loss in those living with obesity and type 2 diabetes, the study found.
“MariTide’s monthly or less frequent dosing has the potential to improve adherence and long-term weight control, providing the opportunity to optimise health outcomes for people living with obesity, type 2 diabetes, and related conditions,” said Jay Bradner, executive vice president of research and development at Amgen.
The trial found some “mild to moderate” gut-related side effects in people taking the drug. But these gastrointestinal events were mainly limited to initial dosing and were less frequent when the doses were carefully increased without compromising efficacy, they said.
There were no discontinuations due to these side effects at any time during the study, however.
Researchers are currently evaluating the drug’s effectiveness in reducing weight further among those who already lost 15 per cent of their weight in the latest trial.
They also hope to test the drug’s effectiveness for weight loss among those with heart disease and obstructive sleep apnea.
