Alteogen said on the 9th that its once-monthly obesity drug candidate, which applies its in-house ultra-long-acting platform, showed not only weight loss effects in preclinical testing but also a tendency for less so-called yo-yo weight regain after treatment discontinuation.
Alteogen's ultra-long-acting platform extends the dosing interval based on its existing long-acting NexP platform and is being developed to shift from a once-weekly formulation to once-monthly dosing.
In the global anti-obesity drug market, once-weekly formulations have already become the standard, and next-generation candidates are being developed to deliver greater weight loss and improved dosing convenience.
Among them, retatrutide, a once-weekly subcutaneous injection formulation under development by Eli Lilly and Company, recorded up to 29% weight loss in clinical trials and is drawing attention for higher efficacy compared with the currently marketed Wegovy and Mounjaro.
Alteogen's once-monthly obesity drug candidate confirmed a long half-life and sustained drug concentrations in animal pharmacokinetics (PK) testing last year. This time, using an obese rat model in pharmacodynamics (PD) testing, the company evaluated weight loss effects and post-discontinuation weight changes.
As a result, it showed weight loss effects at a level similar to the retatrutide comparator group, and there was also a tendency for mitigated rapid weight regain after dosing stopped. The company noted that in a market where once-weekly therapies are mainstream, a once-monthly dosing schedule is likely to be competitive in terms of patient adherence.
Jeon Tae-yeon, CEO of Alteogen, said, "These preclinical results suggest that a once-monthly obesity treatment shows potential not only for weight loss efficacy but also for weight maintenance," adding, "We will develop it into a competitive pipeline targeting the global anti-obesity market."