New Novo Nordisk Weight Loss Pill Cuts Body Weight Up to 13% in 3 Months

A new daily weight loss pill from Novo Nordisk was shown in a Phase 1 clinical trial to lower body weight by up to 13% after three months. These findings were presented at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes annual meeting in Spain.

NBC News reports that the rate of weight loss with this new pill, amycretin, appears to be more rapid than that of other weight loss drugs on the market today, including injectables such as Ozempic and Wegovy. In addition, STAT News reveals that a small Phase 1 trial using a 50-mg dose of the daily pill led to 10.4% weight loss about three months after the start of treatment.

Participants who took two pills a day lost 13.1% of their weight. Amycretin is reported to activate receptors of both the amylin and GLP-1 hormones.

“What we see in the study period is a 13.1% weight loss with a side effect profile comparable to what we normally see with incretin-based therapy, so primarily gastrointestinal side effects,” Martin Holst Lange, Novo Nordisk’s head of development, said in an interview, as reported by Reuters.

The maker of injectable weight loss drugs including Ozempic and Wegovy is touting the results of an early-stage trial that delivered weight loss success by taking a daily pill.

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According to the data presented at the conference, one serious but non-fatal adverse event was reported during the 60-participant trial. Patients taking amycretin reported no severe side effects, while 242 reported mild and moderate side effects.

Dr. Leah Croll, a Philadelphia-based neurologist, shared her thoughts on the trial. She believes it could take several years for amycretin to hit the market, reports ABC News. 

“The journey from lab to your local pharmacy shelf is a years-long journey, typically, for these drugs,” Croll said. “It involves multiple rounds of clinical trials, big trials that may take years to execute, so I’d say we’re looking at least a couple of years.”