According to Wisdom Financial APP, Amgen (AMGN.USA) announced on Tuesday that its experimental weight-loss therapy MariTide has achieved significant results in phase 2 trials, with an average weight loss of up to about 17% to 20% for obese or overweight individuals (with or without type 2 diabetes), without encountering a weight loss plateau, and no less effective than Eli Lilly (LLY.USA)'s Zepbound and Novo Nordisk (NVO.USA)'s GLP-1 products in achieving a weight reduction of 15%–20%. However, the company's stock price fell by about 12%, while its competitors, Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk, saw their stock prices rise. Amgen announced plans to advance MariTide's phase 3 research plan, MARITIME, despite the drug being associated with adverse gastrointestinal events like nausea, it still offers potential unique treatment options for patients. Other developers of experimental weight-loss therapies are also actively developing.

In phase 2 trials targeting individuals who are obese or overweight but do not have type 2 diabetes, Amgen's MariTide achieved an average weight loss of about 20% over a little more than a year. For patients with concurrent type 2 diabetes, weight was reduced by approximately 17% over the same time frame of 52 weeks. Amgen pointed out that neither of these study groups experienced a weight loss plateau after 52 weeks, indicating that they still have further weight loss potential.

Based on this data, Amgen announced a phase 3 research plan named MARITIME for MariTide. MariTide is a bispecific molecule designed to target the intestinal hormone receptor GLP-1 and the glucose-dependent insulinotropic peptide receptor.

Regarding safety, Amgen stated that the monthly or less frequent injection of MariTide injection is not related to changes in bone mineral density, an issue recently concerning Cantor Fitzgerald, which led to a sell-off of its stock earlier this month.

However, Amgen also added that MariTide is associated with adverse gastrointestinal events such as nausea. Nevertheless, Amgen's Chief Medical Officer Jay Bradner still stated: "These results give us the confidence to initiate MARITIME, a phase 3 research plan targeting obesity and a range of related diseases, providing patients with unique potential new treatment options."

Other companies developing experimental weight-loss therapies include Pfizer (PFE.USA), AstraZeneca (AZN.USA), Viking Therapeutics (VKTX.USA), Altimmune (ALT.USA), Fulcrum Therapeutics (GPCR.USA), Zealand Pharma, and Rhythm Pharmaceuticals (RYTM.USA).

It is worth mentioning that, according to reports, the government led by USA President Biden is proposing a regulation to pay for weight loss drugs, which may expand the opportunity for millions of obese Americans to access weight loss drugs and bring a huge new medical bill to the former US President Donald Trump.

It is understood that the USA Medicare program now pays for the cost of Novo Nordisk's Ozempic and Eli Lilly's Mounjaro for people with health conditions such as diabetes. According to the White House, this new regulation will provide approximately 3.4 million elderly Americans participating in Medicare and 4 million adults in the Medicaid program for the poor with access to weight loss treatments.

According to a White House official, the proposal will reduce the out-of-pocket costs for medications priced at $1,000 monthly by up to 95%. Medicare provides insurance for about 52 million elderly Americans and currently does not cover expenses for obesity-related medications such as Wegovy and Zepbound. Only 13 states' Medicaid programs cover these major weight loss drugs.

This move represents a significant victory for pharmaceutical companies Novo-Nordisk A/S and Eli Lilly and Co, which have just overcome a situation in which drug shortages limited access to brand-name medications over the past two years. According to relevant analysts, the thriving injectable weight loss drug market is expected to reach $130 billion by 2030, with both companies competing to persuade insurance companies to cover these drugs.