Ozempic has been wildly popular for Americans looking to lose weight, but the cost and the fact that it is an injection-based medication has scared away some potential customers. The price isn’t going to come down anytime soon, but creator Novo Nordisk might have a workaround for people afraid of needles.
The drug manufacturer has developed a pill that could bring about weight loss of as much as 13% in three months, according to results of a Phase 1 trial.
The pill isn’t Ozempic—it’s called Amycretin—but like that drug it mimics the GLP-1 hormone, which suppresses people’s appetites. It also mimics amylin, which makes people feel full.
In trials, the average person lost 10.4% of their body weight when using Amycretin, compared to just 1.1% for people taking the placebo. The maximum weight loss was 13.1%. And researchers noted that at the end of the treatment period, subjects taking Amycretin had not plateaued in their weight loss, suggesting there was the potential for additional pounds dropped with further use.
Additional studies are needed, but this could open up a new type of weight loss option for people who are overweight or obese, but not suffering from diabetes. (Ozempic is designed as a diabetes drug.)
“A single molecule that targets both amylin and GLP-1 biology in a tablet form could offer a more convenient approach to achieving better outcomes for individuals with overweight or obesity,” researchers wrote.
Side effects were mild to moderate and largely gastrointestinal, including nausea and vomiting.
Ozempic has driven Novo Nordisk to a $500 billion valuation. The company is expecting profit growth of 29% this year, even with competition from other weight loss drugs. It has had some supply constraint issues, but has announced plans to build a “mega manufacturing facility” outside Dublin to accommodate increased production.
