Aykut Karahan | iStock | Getty Images
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Happy Friday! New data from drug companies vying to enter the booming weight-loss drug market was in the election news this week.
Pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca and biotechnology company Viking Remedies It was among the companies to present encouraging data on obesity pills and other treatments at the ObesityWeek conference in San Antonio, Texas, in recent days.
Wall Street is betting that the new wave of growth in obesity will be driven by pills that can provide more relief and perhaps fewer side effects, which could keep patients on the drugs longer. Analysts expect the weight-loss drug market to be worth more than $100 billion by the end of the decade as more treatments emerge and help meet demand for existing injections from China. Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly Still struggling to keep up.
Here's what some of the data on the pill looks like.
People who took the highest dose of the daily Viking pill lost an average of 6.8% more body weight after 28 days than those who received a placebo, according to results of an early study of 92 people.
That beat investors' expectations of a 5% to 6% weight loss compared to placebo, William Blair analyst Andy Hsieh said in a note Monday. He noted that this standard was set by an experimental pill from Novo Nordisk that showed a 5% weight loss in four weeks.
Hsieh also said that Viking's pills showed a “very benign tolerance,” referring to how well patients tolerated the drug. Six of the nine participants who took the highest dose of the drug suffered from mild nausea, while only one suffered from vomiting.
This is likely to be an advantage over current obesity injections, which can cause gastrointestinal side effects so uncomfortable that they prompt some patients to stop treatment.
However, some analysts have questioned whether Viking will be able to capture a significant share of the competitive market for weight-loss drugs, particularly raising concerns about its ability to manufacture enough of its drugs as a small company.
“We're not saying it's impossible for Viking to manufacture, but we think it would be expensive with capital requirements and expertise beyond what Lilly and Novo currently have,” Deutsche Bank analyst James Chen said in a note on Monday.
But Hsieh said he believes Viking offers “a unique set of attractive characteristics in the lens of big pharma.” There has already been speculation about the possibility of a large pharmaceutical company purchasing Viking.
Aside from the pill, Viking is developing a weight-loss injection and other treatments.
The office building of biopharmaceutical company AstraZeneca is seen in Shanghai, China, on May 23, 2024.
norphoto | Getty Images
Meanwhile, AstraZeneca said its experimental obesity pill was well tolerated by patients with type 2 diabetes in an early study, as it presented data from several studies on three new treatments during the conference.
AstraZeneca, after announcing last year that it would license the once-daily pill from Chinese drugmaker Eccogene, said it believed the pill could cause fewer side effects than injectable treatments from Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly.
Diabetic patients lost 5.8% of their body weight during four weeks of treatment with AstraZeneca tablets.
Some analysts said it was difficult to compare the data to other weight loss drugs because the AstraZeneca study was small and was tested in people with diabetes rather than those with obesity. However, AstraZeneca said it believes its pill is different from other treatments in development and on the market, especially given how well patients tolerate it.
Feel free to send any tips, suggestions, story ideas and data to Annika at annikakim.constantino@nbcuni.com.
Here's how Americans voted on abortion access
Abortion rights supporters hold signs on the day Supreme Court justices hear oral arguments on the legality of Idaho's Republican-backed near-total abortion ban in cases of medical emergencies, at the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, U.S., April 24, 2024.
Kevin Lamarque | Reuters
Here's how Americans voted on abortion access
Americans voted in 10 states this week on whether to legalize or expand abortion access, more than two years after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.
The possibility of abortion was a hot issue during the presidential campaign this year, especially among women voters. President-elect Donald Trump recently said he believes the issue should be left to the states, but he has previously expressed support for various proposals for a nationwide ban.
Ballots are still being counted across the country, but here's how Americans will vote on abortion, according to NBC News projections:
Arizona: Passed
Arizona voters passed Proposition 139, establishing the right to abortion in the state before the point of fetal viability at about 24 weeks.
The measure passed with 61.2% of the vote, while 38.8% of Arizonans voted against it, according to NBC News. About 74% of the expected votes have been counted so far.
Colorado: It worked
Colorado voters passed Amendment 79, enshrining the right to abortion in the state constitution. It also lifted a ban that prevented the use of public funds to pay for abortions, meaning more Coloradans can get insurance coverage for the procedure.
Amendment 79 was approved with 61.9% of the vote, according to NBC News. About 86% of the expected votes are present.
Florida: Did not pass
Voters in Florida struck down the Fourth Amendment, which would have granted the constitutional right to an abortion before the fetus is viable or when the procedure is necessary to protect the patient's health. Abortions after six weeks of pregnancy are currently prohibited in the state.
More than 57% of Floridians voted in favor of the amendment, according to NBC News. It needed to cross 60% in order to pass. About 96% of the expected votes were counted.
Maryland: It worked
Maryland voters enshrined abortion access in the state constitution by passing the right to reproductive freedom, which includes “the ability to make and carry out decisions to prevent, continue, or terminate pregnancy.”
The measure passed with 74.7% of the vote, according to NBC News. About 83% of the expected votes are present.
Missouri: Passed
Missouri voters passed Amendment 3, enshrining the right to reproductive freedom in the state constitution. The amendment gives residents “the right to make and implement decisions on all matters relating to reproductive health care,” including abortion.
The Third Amendment was approved by 51.7% of the vote, while 48.3% of state residents voted against it, according to NBC News. About 99% of the expected votes were cast.
Montana: Passed
Montana voters enshrined abortion access in their state constitution by creating the right to “make and carry out decisions concerning one’s pregnancy.”
The measure passed with 57.6% of the vote, while 42.4% of voters cast their votes against it, according to NBC News. About 96% of the expected votes were counted.
Nebraska: Mixed
Nebraska voters did not pass an amendment that would expand abortion access to the point of fetal viability at about 24 weeks, but they did pass a measure codifying existing abortion restrictions into the state constitution. Nebraska prohibits abortions after 12 weeks unless there is a medical emergency or the pregnancy is the result of sexual assault or incest.
Nearly 49% of Nebraska voters cast ballots in favor of expanding access to abortion, while 51.4% voted against, according to NBC News. The amendment banning abortion after the first trimester was approved by 55.3% of the vote. About 94% of the expected votes are present.
Nevada: Passed
Voters in Nevada passed an amendment banning abortions after the first three months of pregnancy, unless medically necessary. The amendment also provides exceptions if the pregnancy is the result of incest or sexual assault.
The amendment was approved by 64% of the votes, according to NBC News. About 92% of the expected votes have been counted so far.
New York: passed
New York voters passed Proposition 1, which protects access to abortion in the state constitution. The proposal states that people cannot be denied rights based on their sex, including “sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, pregnancy outcomes, reproductive health care and autonomy.”
Nearly 62% of New York voters cast ballots in favor of the proposal, while 38.1% voted against, according to NBC News. About 88% of the expected votes are present.
South Dakota: Not passed
Voters in South Dakota did not approve Amendment G, which would have enshrined the right to abortion in the state constitution. All abortions are prohibited in the country, except when medically necessary to preserve the patient's life.
More than 41% of voters in the state cast their votes in favor of the amendment, while 58.6% of the population voted against it, according to NBC News. About 99% of the expected votes were counted.
Feel free to send any tips, suggestions, story ideas and pitches to Ashley at ashley.capoot@nbcuni.com.
