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Miami Herald
a day ago
- Health
- Miami Herald
Lilly's experimental obesity drug shows promise in early study
An experimental weight-loss drug from Eli Lilly & Co. helped patients lose weight with few side effects, according to the summary of a small study that suggests the company has another foothold in the obesity market. The drug, called eloralintide, helped some patients lose more than 11% of their body weight in three months, according to an abstract posted Friday ahead of the American Diabetes Association conference in Chicago. The drug is moving to the next stage of development and researchers will present details on dosing and safety at the conference next week. "The data look particularly strong, and should push the program back into investor conversations," Cantor Fitzgerald analyst Prakhar Agrawal wrote in a note to investors. Lilly has shared few details about eloralintide before now, as it's still in the early stages of testing. It's part of a class of drugs that mimic the hormone amylin, which slows digestion and makes people feel full longer. They're thought to be a gentler option for losing weight than currently available injections like Zepbound and Wegovy, which often have side effects like nausea and vomiting. The study enrolled 100 patients who were given different doses of the experimental drug or a placebo for 12 weeks. Weight loss ranged from 2.6% to 11.3%, according to the abstract. Gastrointestinal side effects were relatively minimal, with about 10% of patients experiencing diarrhea and 8% vomiting. Few details were provided, however, including information on risks and benefits based on dose. The promise of drugs that are easier to take than blockbusters like Lilly's Zepbound and its rival Wegovy, from Novo Nordisk A/S, has drawn increasing interest from companies hoping for a piece of pharma's hottest market. In March, Roche Holding AG entered into a $5.3 billion deal to co-develop and commercialize Zealand Pharma A/S' amylin drug, called petrelintide. It is seen as the one to beat in the amylin class, with early trials showing patients lost as much as 8.6% of their body weight in four months, with less nausea than Lilly and Novo's current therapies. AbbVie Inc. agreed to pay as much as $2.2 billion in March for an amylin drug from Danish biotech Gubra A/S, marking its first foray into the obesity market. New York-based startup Metsera Inc. is developing a related compound that may be taken less frequently than weekly shots like Zepbound and Wegovy. Lilly is already a leader in the obesity market, where Zepbound is capturing the majority of new prescriptions. The company has several promising next-generation products in the late stages of development, including a pill called orforglipron and an experimental shot that's thought to be even more effective for weight loss. The company is studying eloralintide alone and in combination with Zepbound - similar to the approach Novo is taking with its next-generation drug CagriSema, which combines an amylin component with semaglutide, the backbone of Wegovy and the diabetes drug Ozempic. Copyright (C) 2025, Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Portions copyrighted by the respective providers.
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Madrigal's MASH drug sales again top Wall Street projections
This story was originally published on BioPharma Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily BioPharma Dive newsletter. Madrigal Pharmaceuticals said its pioneering medicine for a common liver disease brought in $137.3 million in the first quarter, surpassing analyst estimates by more than $20 million. More than 17,000 patients have now taken the drug, known as Rezdiffra, Madrigal said Thursday. It won Food and Drug Administration approval in March 2024, becoming the first medication cleared to treat metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis, or MASH. The company said it's now looking toward a potential mid-year approval that would position Rezdiffra as the first available MASH treatment in Europe. CEO Bill Sibold said he's looking to build on what he described as an 'exceptional launch' in the U.S. Madrigal is once again answering critics who have doubted the company's ability to create a significant market for Rezdiffra. A New England Journal of Medicine editorial published before the drug's approval described its benefits as 'modest,' and many were surprised at Madrigal's decision to price a year's worth of treatment at $47,400, well above the $30,000 estimated by some analysts. In addition, diagnosis of the disease can be difficult. It often hides in a patient's body for years and is usually confirmed through a liver biopsy. Some symptoms can be treated through diet and exercise, raising questions about whether an expensive treatment would be cost-effective. But from the start, Rezdiffra sales exceeded expectations. In its first quarter on the market, the drug brought in $14.6 million, topping consensus expectations of about $4 million. Third-quarter sales climbed to $62 million, beating estimates of $36 million. Full-year revenue reached $180 million. The 'bull' case for the drug is peak sales of more than $5 billion, based on the argument that diagnoses of MASH will increase and Madrigal is positioned to capitalize on an already strong launch, Cantor Fitzgerald analyst Prakhar Agrawal wrote in a note to clients this week. The 'bear' case notes that doctors may be less inclined to prescribe Rezdiffra if popular GLP-1 drugs enter the market, he said. Novo Nordisk last year announced positive Phase 3 results in MASH for semaglutide, already sold under the brand names Ozempic for diabetes and Wegovy for obesity. And this week, the company said the FDA has accepted its application to expand approval of the GLP-1 drug to treat MASH as well. Until Madrigal won approval last year, drugmakers had repeatedly failed in quests to introduce a new treatment for MASH, previously known as NASH. Intercept Pharmaceuticals faced two separate rejections from the FDA after announcing positive study results and abandoned the field; other companies never made it past the research stage. Sign in to access your portfolio
