By Dominic Chopping
Novo Nordisk said Wednesday that an experimental drug it is developing with Chinese pharmaceutical company The United Bio-Technology (Hengqin) Co. showed "positive" results with a mean body weight reduction of up to 9.8% after a 24-week trial.
The Danish drugmaker agreed to pay up to $2 billion for the rights to the developmental weight-loss and obesity drug last year as it looks to boost its pipeline of next-generation drugs.
The exclusive global licensing deal for UBT251--a drug that targets three different hormones to treat obesity, Type 2 diabetes, and other diseases--means Novo Nordisk has exclusive rights to develop, manufacture, and commercialize UBT251 globally, excluding the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan.
In a phase 2 trial in Chinese patients with Type 2 diabetes, UBT251 also showed a mean blood sugar reduction of up to 2.16% while helping patients lose weight and reduce their blood pressure.
UBT251 differs from Novo Nordisk's current portfolio as it takes a three-pronged approach to weight-loss and blood-sugar control. It combines a GLP-1--the same class of drugs as Novo Nordisk's blockbuster Wegovy and Ozempic--with GIP to reduce appetite and blood sugar, and glucagon to prevent low blood-sugar levels.
The trial, conducted by United Bio-Technology, investigated the safety and efficacy of once-weekly injectable 2-milligram, 4-milligram and 6-milligram doses of UBT251 compared to placebo and semaglutide 1 milligram. Semaglutide is the active ingredient in Wegovy and Ozempic.
The 9.8% mean body weight reduction in patients using UBT251 compares to 4.8% weight-loss in patients who took semaglutide in the trial, while the mean 2.16% mean blood sugar reduction in the UBT251 groups compares to 1.77% for the semaglutide group.
Based on the results, United Bio-Technology is planning to initiate two phase 3 trials in Chinese patients with Type 2 diabetes.
Novo Nordisk will start a global phase 2 trial with UBT251 in people with type 2 diabetes later this year, and is currently conducting a global phase 2 trial in weight management that will read out next year, Martin Holst Lange, chief scientific officer and head of research and development at Novo Nordisk said.
The United Bio-Technology (Hengqin) Co. is a subsidiary of The United Laboratories International Holdings.
Write to Dominic Chopping at dominic.chopping@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
March 25, 2026 03:14 ET (07:14 GMT)
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