Biotech firm Ascletis Pharma said ASC47, its muscle-preserving weight loss drug candidate, could boost the efficacy of the popular anti-obesity medication semaglutide by 56.2 per cent, as Chinese drug makers eye a growing share of this lucrative market.
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That finding came from a trial that Ascletis conducted in the US for 28 participants with obesity, which aimed to assess the drug candidate’s safety and ideal dose, according to the company’s statement on Monday. The treatment duration was four weeks and the follow-up period was six weeks.
When used in combination with semaglutide, ASC47 showed a 56 per cent greater relative reduction in body weight than using semaglutide alone, the company said.
ASC47 also offered “substantial” improvement in gastrointestinal tolerability, the company said. The study saw a 6.7 per cent incidence of vomiting when used jointly with semaglutide, compared with 57 per cent for semaglutide monotherapy.
“This study provides important proof-of-concept data that will further inform our phase IIb combination study designs for multiple metabolic diseases such as obesity and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis,” said Jason Wu Jinzi, the founder, chairman and CEO of Ascletis.
Ascletis’ study reflected efforts by dozens of Chinese drug makers to compete in the rapidly expanding market for diabetes and weight loss drugs, going against global pharmaceutical giants including Novo Nordisk, which sells semaglutide under the brand names Ozempic and Wegovy.
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