HQ Team
June 21, 2025: Novo Nordisk’s experimental weight loss medicine amycretin helped overweight and obese adults lose up to 24% of their weight in a small study, according to a company statement.
The Danish drugmaker stated that participants who received its treatment “demonstrated significantly greater weight loss across the full range of doses investigated compared to placebo.”
Trial results of the subcutaneous amycretin early phase showed that 20-milligram weekly injections of the drug helped overweight or obese patients without diabetes lose 22% of their weight over 36 weeks compared to 1.9% in the placebo, with a 60-mg dose resulting in 24.3% weight loss.
The subcutaneous amycretin trial investigated the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics, and proof-of-concept of once-weekly subcutaneous amycretin in 125 people with overweight or obesity for a treatment duration of up to 36 weeks.
Oral dose
The oral amycretin early trial evaluated the single-ascending dose and multiple ascending doses for oral amycretin, up to two times 50 mg, in 144 people with overweight or obesity, with a total treatment duration of up to 12 weeks.
Once-weekly subcutaneous amycretin treatment of up to 60 mg “appeared tolerable with a safety profile consistent with other GLP-1 and amylin receptor agonists,” according to the statement. The number of adverse events that increased in a dose-dependent manner was mostly gastrointestinal, and similar to GLP-1 receptors.
The medicine works by combining the effects of two natural hormones in the body — GLP-1 and amylin. It is designed to help reduce appetite and promote feelings of fullness, making people eat less and lose weight.
GLP-1 is a hormone that helps regulate appetite and blood sugar. By activating GLP-1 receptors, amycretin makes you less hungry, similar to drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy.
Reduce appetite
Amylin is another hormone released by the pancreas after eating. It signals fullness, slows down how quickly food leaves your stomach, and helps control blood sugar. This adds an extra way to reduce appetite and support weight loss.
The combination makes it potentially more effective than current treatments that only target GLP-1. It is also being developed as a convenient once-daily oral pill, unlike many other weight loss drugs that require injections.
“Amycretin is the first investigational treatment that combines GLP-1 and amylin receptor agonism biology in one molecule, working on distinct pathways and offering complementary effects on appetite control,” said Martin Holst Lange, executive vice president for Development at Novo Nordisk.
“We are excited to advance the clinical development of subcutaneous and oral amycretin into phase 3 to assess its potential as a therapeutic option for weight management,” he said.
The trial results were presented at the annual meeting of the American Diabetes Association in Chicago and published in the Lancet medical journal.
