The battle for the multibillion-dollar weight problems market simply received fiercer. Amgen Inc‘s AMGN new drug candidate, MariTide, reported promising outcomes, serving to sufferers shed round 20% of their physique weight.
However when up towards the present titans — Eli Lilly And Co LLY and Novo Nordisk A/S NVO — “promising” might not minimize it.
Weight Loss: A Robust Market For Newcomers
Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk’s medicine, Zepbound and Wegovy, aren’t simply therapies—they’re juggernauts. Amgen’s MariTide enters the fray with a novel antibody-peptide mechanism, which may supply much less frequent dosing and probably fewer rebounds in weight. But, with unwanted side effects like nausea and vomiting in 70% of sufferers, it is a robust promote in a market the place first impressions matter.
Learn Additionally: Amgen Reveals Information From Carefully Watched Month-to-month Weight problems Drug, With Weight Loss Of Up To twenty% At One 12 months And No Plateau
As Nicholas Anderson of Thornburg Funding Administration points out, “A 20% weight reduction would have been best-in-class just a few years in the past. However Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly have medicine within the pipeline that might meet or exceed 25% weight reduction.”
Worse for Amgen, MariTide continues to be in section 2, whereas Lilly and Novo’s next-generation medicine are almost prepared for market.
The Pfizer-Merck Parallel
Pharma historical past suggests dominance is not assured—Merck & Co Inc‘s MRK statin Mevacor paved the best way within the Eighties however was ultimately outpaced by Pfizer Inc‘s PFE Lipitor.
Nonetheless, with weight problems medicine, the primary movers appear poised to remain on high. Regardless of Amgen’s potential 10% market share, it is arduous to see MariTide displacing the leaders in what some are calling “the best pharmaceutical bonanza of all time.”
A Massive Market, Even For The Underdogs
Amgen does not must dethrone Lilly and Novo to win. Even a small slice of the projected $100 billion market is profitable. MariTide’s once-monthly injection gives manufacturing efficiencies and cardiovascular perks, as famous by BMO Capital Markets analyst Evan Seigerman.
For now, Amgen might solely nibble on the weight problems market pie, however the stakes are huge. Whether or not it is a scrappy upstart or a next-gen titan, one factor is definite—the weight-loss wars are simply getting began.
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