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on Wednesday he said yes experimental drug helped patients lose weight, but in addition minimized loss of muscle mass midway through the study, which could set it apart in a potentially crowded market.
Altimmune is one of several smaller biotech firms which are attempting to compete directly with the growing weight loss drug space and market, or wish to be acquired by larger drugmakers that may also help bring their therapies to market.
The results are an early sign that the biotech company can solve a serious problem with these treatments, which have generated sustained demand and investor interest over the past yr.
Some health experts say obesity medications can reduce critical muscle mass, which may increase the risk of injury and reduce strength.
However, in keeping with Altimmune, in the late-stage Altimmune study, greater than 74% of the body weight patients lost after receiving the weekly injections got here from fat tissue and only 25.5% from fat-free mass. These results are much like those often seen with weight loss plan and exercise programs.
According to the company, patients who took a 2.4-milligram dose of Altimmune weekly for 48 weeks lost a mean of 15.6% of their body weight in the study, and the weight loss was maintained after treatment ended.
First the company announced data on a weight loss drug called pemvidutide in November.
“Preserving fat-free mass during weight loss is crucial because excessive loss of fat-free mass is associated with negative effects such as [a gradual loss of muscle mass and strength] and bone fractures, especially in women and older people,” Altimmune Chief Medical Officer Scott Harris said in an announcement. “There is a growing awareness that the quality of weight loss is as important as the quantity of weight loss.”
In a clinical trial of semaglutide, the lively ingredient in Novo Nordisk’s Ozempic and Wegovy, researchers examined the loss of lean muscle mass in a subgroup of roughly 140 patients. During the 68-week study, participants lost a mean of about 15 kilos of lean muscle mass and 23 kilos of fat.
These results suggest a better rate of fat-free mass decline than in the Altimmune study. Still, Altimmune must conduct late-stage studies on its drug, so it’s too early to find out what advantage it has over existing weight loss treatments.
The two drugs also work in a different way.
Semaglutide mimics a hormone produced in the gut called GLP-1 to suppress appetite. Meanwhile, Altimmune prompts GLP-1 and one other gut hormone called glucagon, which increases energy expenditure.
Altimmune can be developing this drug to treat a typical form of liver disease called metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH).
Other obesity drug makers are also attempting to help patients maintain muscle mass.
For example, Eli Lilly is testing whether combining a weight-loss drug with Versanis Bio’s monoclonal antibody may also help patients lose weight while maintaining muscle mass. The pharmaceutical giant recently acquired Versanis, which is a component of a bunch of firms coping with the aspect of muscle loss.