AstraZeneca's oral obesity drug elecoglipron cuts weight up to 11.8% in trial

AstraZeneca reported that its experimental oral GLP‑1 obesity pill, elecoglipron, achieved a mean weight loss of 10.5% after 26 weeks and 11.8% after 36 weeks at the highest dose in a phase‑II study of 310 adults with obesity or overweight. Almost 89% of participants on the top dose lost at least 5% of their body weight. The most common adverse events were gastrointestinal, including nausea and constipation. The results were presented at the American Diabetes Association meeting in New Orleans and are intended to position elecoglipron against Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy and Eli Lilly’s Zepbound/Foundayo in the rapidly expanding GLP‑1 obesity market. AstraZeneca obtained the development license for elecoglipron from Chinese partner Eccogen in late 2023, underscoring its global collaboration efforts.