Novo Nordisk’s New Obesity Drug Shows Promising Results in Mid-Stage Trial
Novo Nordisk and United Laboratories International reported significant findings from their mid-stage clinical trial of obesity drug UBT251. The experimental treatment demonstrated a mean weight loss of up to 19.7% after 24 weeks in Chinese patients, outperforming the placebo group's 2.0% reduction.
UBT251 operates as a triple agonist targeting GLP-1, GIP, and glucagon hormones. Beyond weight loss, patients showed improvements in metabolic markers including waist circumference, blood glucose, and blood pressure. The safety profile appears favorable, with predominantly mild-to-moderate gastrointestinal side effects that diminished over time.
This development follows closely on Novo Nordisk's recent $2 billion acquisition of global rights to UBT251 in March 2025. The positive data emerges just days after the company's CagriSema failed to surpass Eli Lilly's Zepbound in comparative testing.
