Regeneron Will Test Wegovy Drug Combos to Protect Muscle Mass

 Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. will soon start testing its antibody drugs in combination with Wegovy to see if they prevent muscle loss, a problem that drugmakers including Eli Lilly & Co. have been racing to solve. 

GLP-1 drugs made by Lilly and rival Novo Nordisk A/S have exploded in popularity, but experts have started raising concerns that older patients may also be at risk of losing critical muscle mass that helps prevent injuries. 

Up to 40% of the weight patients lose on GLP-1 drugs may actually be due to decreases in lean muscle mass, Regeneron’s Chief Scientific Officer George Yancopoulos said in an interview at the annual JPMorgan Healthcare Conference in San Francisco. This could “potentially be a public health disaster,” he said.

Later this year, Regeneron will start testing two of its antibody drugs in combination with Wegovy to see if they preserve or help to build muscle. The trial will also look at whether the combinations help prevent patients from rapidly regaining weight after they stop taking drugs such as Wegovy or Lilly’s Zepbound.

Lilly and Novo have made billions selling obesity treatments and similar diabetes drugs that promote weight loss, and Regeneron is among a group of drugmakers looking for inroads into the market. 

Other companies are also trying to tackle the muscle-loss problem. Eli Lilly, for one, is studying Zepbound in combination with a drug it acquired from obesity startup Versanis Bio. It’s also looking at combining the treatment with an experimental muscle-atrophy drug from BioAge Labs, a closely held California biotech company. 

Yancopoulos said the company is also utilizing genetic insights to design novel, next-generation weight-loss drugs. In 2021, Regeneron said its scientists discovered a rare genetic mutation associated with protection against obesity. Those with the gene tended to weigh about 12 pounds less than those without it, he said, and the drugmaker has been testing different therapeutic approaches to mimic these “genetic superpowers.” 

Experts say there’s plenty of room for newcomers in obesity-related treatments. For Regeneron, weight-loss drugs could help boost profits as competition ramps up for the company’s best-selling drugs including Eylea, which treats some retinal conditions, and Dupixent, used to prevent severe asthma attacks and treat conditions such as eczema.

https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/regeneron-will-test-wegovy-drug-combos-to-protect-muscle-mass-1.2020277