Obesity drugs
Three takeaways from Europe's largest obesity research meeting
Muscle preservation, monthly dosing and what happens after patients stop treatment dominated four days of presentations in Vienna.
By Meera RaghunathanPublished · 1 min read
The questions at this year's meeting were different from the ones researchers were asking three years ago. Nobody doubts any longer that incretin drugs produce substantial weight loss. The debate has moved to how that weight is lost, how often patients need to inject and what happens when they stop.
Muscle is the new endpoint
Four companies presented data on drugs meant to be paired with existing treatments to protect lean mass. The most advanced, from Ionwell, cut the share of weight lost as muscle from roughly a third to under a fifth in a 26-week study. Whether that translates into better strength or mobility is still unproven.
Monthly dosing is close
Two developers showed results for injections given once every four weeks. Weight loss was within a couple of percentage points of weekly products, with similar rates of nausea.
Stopping remains the hard part
A two-year follow-up study found patients regained about 60% of lost weight within a year of ending treatment. A lower maintenance dose slowed the rebound but did not prevent it.
