Novo Nordisk’s new weight&loss pill Amycretin beats Wegovy in early trial

There is a new chapter in Big Pharma’s billion-dollar war on obesity, as Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly battle it out over the latest blockbuster drugs.  Ozempic maker Novo Nordisk’s highly anticipated new obesity pill, Amycretin, shows the potential for much greater and faster weight loss than Wegovy in early clinical trials, according to data presented Wednesday at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes. Amycretin’s phase 1 trials show study participants lost 13.1% of their body weight after only 3 months. That’s over twice the amount of weight loss on Wegovy, which shows about 6% weight loss after three months and 15% after 68 weeks. The Danish drugmaker said the findings are early, and more clinical trials remain. How it works The obesity pill works by stimulating both the amylin hormone, which creates a feeling of fullness regulates hunger, and targets GLP-1 receptors. Novo’s Wegovy and Ozempic contain semaglutide, which primarily mimics the GLP-1 hormone, which reduces appetite. Semaglutides monitor and release insulin when blood-sugar levels rise. However, unlike Ozempic and Wegovy, which are typically injected under the skin, Amycretin is a pill taken daily, which could be a game changer for consumers. The phase 1 trials also show some mild and moderate side effects, primarily gastrointestinal, similar to those of other weight-loss drugs. The obesity pill could prove stiff competition for Eli Lilly and a sign to investors that Novo Nordisk might have a pipeline of next-generation drugs.