Amgen, a biotech company based in Thousand Oaks, California, has announced that it will no longer develop its early-stage obesity pill and instead focus on the injectable drug MariTide. The decision comes after encouraging interim results from a Phase 2 trial of MariTide were reported. Amgen CEO Robert Bradway expressed confidence in the drug's potential to address important unmet medical needs in obesity, diabetes, and obesity-related conditions.
According to reports, MariTide is an injectable drug for obesity that is currently in a Phase 2 trial. The interim analysis of this trial has shown promising results, leading Amgen to discontinue development of its oral drug AMG-786 and focus solely on MariTide.
The exact details of the interim analysis have not been released, but it is known that patients given the highest dose of MariTide lost an average of 14.5% of their body weight in just 12 weeks according to phase one trial data published in Nature Metabolism.
Amgen's decision to focus on MariTide comes as the market for obesity treatments continues to grow rapidly. Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly are currently dominating the space with their weight-loss drugs Wegovy and Zepbound, respectively. However, Amgen believes that MariTide's differentiated profile will allow it to capture a significant share of this market.
Amgen is planning late-stage studies for MariTide in obesity, obesity-related conditions, and diabetes. The drug will likely be delivered in a handheld autoinjector that is used monthly. Amgen has already initiated activities to expand manufacturing capacity for MariTide with both clinical and commercial supply in mind.
The news of Amgen's focus on MariTide has been well received by the market, with the company's shares rising significantly in after-hours trading following the announcement.