2023-08-13 09:32:00
A new range of drugs developed by American and Danish companies could make it possible to fight more effectively against obesity, a scourge which affects a billion people in the world.
Miracle cure for obesity? A new generation of drugs for weight loss raises many hopes to fight against this global health calamity from which laboratories and investors are already reaping many profits.
Obesity affects more than one billion people worldwide, according to the WHO. It is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease, diabetes, certain cancers and complications such as in the case of Covid-19. Difficult to treat, it is expensive for health systems. Its causes are not only related to lifestyle but can be influenced by genetics.
If prevention and medical care do not improve, the World Obesity Federation predicts that by 2035, half (51%) of the world’s population will be overweight or obese. And according to his calculations, the global economic impact would be just as devastating: it could exceed 4,000 billion dollars a year.
Mimicking a hormone secreted by the intestines
From the first generation of weight loss treatments developed until the 1960s, obesity rates have steadily risen and research has also come a long way.
In addition to being effective against diabetes, the recent family of anti-obesity drugs leads to much greater weight loss than the drugs available until now with less severe side effects (nausea, diarrhea). It also shows a benefit on cardiovascular risks.
This therapeutic class mimics a hormone secreted by the intestines (GLP-1) to signal the brain to feel full after ingesting food.
Champions in this segment, the American Eli Lilly and the Danish Novo Nordisk saw their sales take off in the second quarter thanks to their increasingly popular molecules to stimulate weight loss. Eli Lilly had scored a point at the end of April when he confirmed that his anti-diabetic blockbuster, marketed under the name of Mounjaro (tirzepatide), also contributed to weight loss (more than 15%).
An important market
Given the size of the market – 40% of adults suffer from obesity in the United States – a possible green light from Mounjaro by the end of the year, this time against obesity, by the American Agency for drugs (FDA) would be a commercial boon for the group. Its Mounjaro sales approached $1 billion in the second quarter alone.
“The therapy is likely to prove to be a popular alternative to bariatric surgery, as Mounjaro is shown to cause equivalent weight loss,” said Akash Patel, pharmaceutical analyst at GlobalData.
For Novo Nordisk, the signals are green: this week, a study showed that its treatment against obesity Wegovy (semaglutide), whose sales more than quadrupled in the second quarter, reduced the risk of cardiovascular accident by 20% . Potentially enough to convince insurers across the Atlantic to cover these treatments that respond to real health problems and not just the desire to lose weight.
Beware, however, of the reaction of the European health authorities. The European Medicines Agency announced in July that it was examining the possible adverse effects of several anti-diabetic drugs increasingly prescribed for weight loss. Wegovy and Ozempic, another drug from Danish Novo Nordisk, are targeted.
Still too high a cost
One of the main barriers to patient access to GLP-1 drugs, administered by injection, is the cost, however, underlines the American Association of Pharmacists, knowing that obesity must be monitored over the long term. It costs more than 10,000 dollars a year for a subcutaneous injection administered once a week.
A way to reduce this price but also to simplify the taking of the drug would be to develop tablets to be swallowed every day, according to experts. A path on which Novo Nordisk is well advanced in its clinical studies. Eli Lilly and his compatriot Pfizer are also looking to develop this type of oral solution.
The stakes are high for these companies: according to Morgan Stanley, the global market for obesity treatments could represent 54 billion dollars by 2030.
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