Aleniglipron oral GLP‑1 drug shows up to 12% weight loss in phase‑2b trial

A phase‑2b study of the oral GLP‑1 receptor agonist Aleniglipron enrolled 230 adults with overweight or obesity at 38 medical centres in the United States. Over 36 weeks, participants received escalating daily doses of 45 mg, 90 mg or 120 mg. Average weight loss reached 9.0 % at 45 mg, 10.7 % at 90 mg and 12.1 % at 120 mg, compared with 0.8 % in the placebo group. Among those on the highest dose, 86 % lost at least 5 % of body weight, 70 % lost at least 10 %, and 38 % lost at least 15 %.

Researchers reported mainly mild‑to‑moderate gastrointestinal side effects; 10.4 % of participants discontinued treatment, primarily for these events. No drug‑induced liver injury was observed. Dr. Robert Kushner of Northwestern University said, “We have found an effective dose and will slow dose escalation in phase‑III studies to improve tolerability.” The investigators consider the results encouraging but stress the need for larger, longer‑term trials to assess weight‑maintenance, rare safety issues, cardiovascular effects and real‑world adherence.