Oncobesity News Posts

Viking to push oral GLP-1/GIP drug into phase III obesity trial

Viking Therapeutics Inc. said after-market hours Feb. 11 that it plans to advance its oral dual GLP-1/GIP receptor, VK-2735, into a phase III trial for obesity in the third quarter of 2026. VK-2735 is a novel dual glucagon-like peptide-1 and glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GLP-1/GIP) receptor agonist.

Read More »

More Good News for GLP-1 Agonists and Cancer Risk

(MedPage Today) — Women with nonmalignant uterine disease and a history of GLP-1 agonist and progestin treatment had a significantly lower risk of endometrial cancer (EC) compared with progestins alone, a retrospective study showed.
Based on…

Read More »

Ascletis raises $107M to advance oral GLP-1 to phase III trials

Ascletis Pharma Inc. raised HK$843.53 million (US107.93 million) in a placement on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange to advance its lead program, ASC-30, a small-molecule glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist that can be dosed once monthly subcutaneously and once daily orally for treating obesity.

Read More »

Blockbuster weight loss drugs like Ozempic deliver big results but face big questions

Three major reviews commissioned by the World Health Organization find that GLP-1 drugs including tirzepatide (sold as Mounjaro and Zepbound), semaglutide (Ozempic and Wegovy), and liraglutide (Victoza and Saxenda) can lead to substantial weight loss in people with obesity. But while the results are impressive, researchers caution that most trials were funded by drugmakers, long term safety data are still limited, and side effects such as nausea are common.

Read More »

Hims & Hers Wegovy Knock-Off Pill Sparks Lawsuit After FDA Crackdown

Hims & Hers has withdrawn its low cost compounded weight loss pill after pressure from top U.S. health officials and a major lawsuit. Image courtesy of Novo Nordisk

Hims & Hers recently announced a $49 compounded semaglutide pill, offering a low cost alternative to the new Wegovy pill.

However, the compounded version was withdrawn from the market after pressure from the HHS and FDA.

Read More »

GLP-1 drugs may protect the heart beyond weight loss, trial results suggest

With the use of GLP-1 medications on the rise, cardiologists are seeing benefits to heart health, and it might not all be related to weight loss alone. GLP-1 medications, including semaglutide, are a class of drugs that act on receptors throughout the body, influencing insulin sensitivity, appetite regulation, inflammation and metabolic health. These therapies traditionally were used to treat diabetes; however, weight loss is a well-recognized side effect, and they are now used for weight loss goals.

Read More »

Synergizing global clinical trials data: GLP-1 receptor agonist safety and novel clinical applications

A research team led by the Department of Medicine, under the School of Clinical Medicine, LKS Faculty of Medicine of the University of Hong Kong (HKUMed), has synergized the impacts of worldwide clinical trial data through a series of meta-analyses on GLP‑1 receptor agonists, an emerging cardiometabolic drug, offering in-depth insights into its safety profile and novel therapeutic potential in treating cardiovascular diseases.

Read More »

Use of GLP-1 Drugs Under Scrutiny at Winter Olympics

(MedPage Today) — As the Winter Olympic Games get underway, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) is monitoring an unexpected class of drugs: GLP-1 receptor agonists.
An advisory group that makes recommendations about WADA’s list of prohibited…

Read More »