What's Going On With Amgen Stock On Friday?

On Friday, Novo Nordisk A/S NVO released headline results from the REDEFINE 1 Phase 3 trial in the global REDEFINE program.

When evaluating the effects of treatment if all people adhered to treatment, people treated with CagriSema achieved a weight loss of 22.7% after 68 weeks compared to a reduction of 11.8% with cagrilintide 2.4 mg, 16.1% with semaglutide 2.4 mg and 2.3% with placebo alone.

In November, Novo Nordisk said its hybrid drug, CagriSema, aims to reduce weight by 25% without added side effects.

William Blair points out that Novo Nordisk didn’t provide detailed tolerability data in its press release, making it hard to compare their treatment with Eli Lilly’s Zepbound directly. However, only 57% of patients could increase their dose to the highest level with CagriSema, compared to 83% with cagrilintide and 70% with Wegovy, suggesting that CagriSema may have a tougher tolerability profile.

The analyst writes the tolerability issue is a key reason why investors are concerned about the REDEFINE 1 trial. The analyst rates the shares Outperform.

The results from CagriSema are also beneficial for Amgen Inc AMGN, which recently showed that its GLP-1R agonist/GIPR antagonist, MariTide, leads to effective weight loss in Phase 2 trials.

MariTide’s weight loss of about 20% after 52 weeks (or 18% at the 420 mg dose) is similar to or slightly below the weight loss seen with other GLP-1 therapies, such as CagriSema and Zepbound.

Also Read: Amgen Defends Its Investigational Monthly Weight Loss Injection After Analyst Cites MariTide’s Impact on Bone Density

The analyst writes that MariTide’s advantage could lie in its less frequent monthly dosing, which may stand out in the obesity market.

Additionally, the way MariTide is dosed appears to reduce gastrointestinal side effects with the first dose, suggesting it may have a more tolerable long-term profile and improve patient adherence.

Price Action: AMGN stock is up 1.58% at $265.33 at last check Friday.

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