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altimmune on Wednesday said its experimental drug helped patients lose weight but also minimized loss of muscle mass in a mid-stage trial, a finding that could differentiate it in a potentially saturated market.
Altimmune is one of several smaller biotech companies that are pushing to compete directly with Nordisk and Eli Lilly in the growing weight-loss drug space, or to be acquired by larger drugmakers that can help bring their treatments to market.
The results are an early sign that the biotech company may be able to address a major concern around such treatments, which have attracted relentless demand and investor interest over the past year.
Some health experts have said that obesity medications could reduce critical muscle mass, which could increase the risk of injury and decrease strength.
But in the late-stage Altimmune trial, more than 74% of the weight patients lost after receiving the company's weekly shot came from fat tissue and only 25.5% came from lean mass, according to the company. Those results are similar to those often seen with weight-loss diet and exercise programs.
Patients taking a 2.4 milligram dose of Altimmune's drug each week for 48 weeks lost 15.6% of their weight on average in the trial, and the weight loss continued at the end of treatment, the company said.
The company first announced weight loss data on the drug, called pemvidutide, in November.
“Preserving lean mass during weight loss is critical, as excessive loss of lean mass has been associated with negative outcomes, such as [a gradual loss of muscle mass and strength] and bone fractures, especially in women and the elderly,” Altimmune chief medical officer Scott Harris said in a statement. “There is a growing appreciation that the quality of weight loss is as important as the quantity of weight loss.” .
In a clinical trial with semaglutide, the active ingredient in Novo Nordisk's Ozempic and Wegovy, researchers examined loss of lean muscle mass in a subgroup of about 140 patients. On average, participants lost about 15 pounds of lean muscle and 23 pounds of fat during the 68-week trial.
Those results suggest a higher rate of decline in lean mass than in the Altimmune trial. Still, Altimmune needs to conduct late-stage trials with its drug, so it's too early to say how much of an advantage it has over existing weight loss treatments.
The two medications also work differently.
Semaglutide mimics a hormone produced in the intestine called GLP-1 to suppress a person's appetite. Meanwhile, Altimmune's drug activates GLP-1 and another gut hormone called glucagon, increasing energy expenditure.
Altimmune is also developing that drug to treat a common form of liver disease called steatohepatitis associated with metabolic dysfunction, or MASH.
Other obesity drug makers are also trying to help patients maintain muscle mass.
For example, Eli Lilly is testing whether combining its weight-loss drug with a monoclonal antibody from Versanis Bio could help patients lose weight while preserving muscle mass. The pharmaceutical giant recently acquired Versanis, which is one of a number of companies that focus on the muscle weight loss aspect.
