A recent trial of a new monthly weight loss injection has shown promising outcomes compared to Wegovy and Mounjaro.
Mounjaro is among several brands that aim to reduce blood sugar levels to treat diabetes, though it’s also approved for weight loss, making it beneficial for those looking to shed pounds.
Wegovy, another GLP-1 medication, has the endorsement of the US Food and Drug Administration for weight loss, but it is primarily suggested for individuals with obesity or those overweight with additional risks for heart disease.
A new entrant in the weight loss medication arena is MariTide, which presents some distinct features compared to Mounjaro and Wegovy.
MariTide is formulated with a monoclonal antibody, which reportedly extends the drug’s duration in the body, allowing for monthly instead of weekly administration.
NBC News reports Dr. Michelle Ponder, an assistant professor of medicine at Duke University School of Medicine, stated, “It’s always just easier for patients to only have to take something once per month. A lot of patients we see in endocrinology are diabetes patients, and so they’d be taking multiple shots of insulin per day. And so, every last shot matters, even if it’s three less shots per month.”
A following trial involved 600 participants, divided into two categories: individuals with Type 2 diabetes and obesity, and those with obesity only.
Participants were administered one of three doses of MariTide or a placebo, taken once per month for a year.
The trial revealed that participants with obesity alone who received MariTide experienced a weight loss of up to 20 percent over 52 weeks.
This contrasted with a mere 2.6 percent reduction in the placebo group, and similar results were observed among participants with diabetes.
In the diabetes group, those taking MariTide reduced their body weight by 17 percent, while the placebo group lost just 1.4 percent on average.
Jay Bradner, M.D., executive vice president of Research and Development at Amgen and the study lead, commented, “MariTide delivered strong efficacy, including sustained weight loss without a plateau in the 52-week Phase 2 study and meaningful improvements in cardiometabolic risk factors, representing a defining advance for the obesity field.”
“These results, alongside the Phase 1 Pharmacokinetics Low Dose Initiation data, have shaped our Phase 3 MARITIME program,” he added.
“MariTide’s monthly or less frequent dosing has the potential to improve adherence and long-term weight control, providing the opportunity to optimize health outcomes for people living with obesity, Type 2 diabetes and related conditions.”