On June 11th, Robert Davis, CEO of pharmaceutical giant Merck, stated at Goldman Sachs Global Healthcare Conference that the company will focus on developing second-generation and third-generation cardiac metabolic drug products, including weight loss therapies.
As for weight loss therapy, Merck said it will first consider small molecule oral medications rather than injectable drugs. Davis expressed his hope to bring more potential weight loss treatments to the market through well tolerated drug combinations.
Research data shows that by the early 2030's, the global weight loss drug market is expected to achieve annual sales of approximately $150 billion. This market is currently dominated by Wegovy from Novo Nordisk and Zepbund from Lilly, both of which belong to the GLP-1 class of drugs.
GLP-1 drugs can help slow down digestion and reduce hunger by inducing satiety. Companies are currently studying whether these drugs can improve health in other ways.
At the beginning of this year, MSD said that drugs that can show therapeutic effects on diseases other than cardiovascular disease, diabetes and weight management will be easier to obtain insurance reimbursement. The company is seeking GLP-1 therapy with benefits beyond weight loss and has developed the GLP-1 glucagon receptor dual agonist efinopegutide for the treatment of metabolic dysfunction associated steatohepatitis (MASH).
Novo Nordisk and other pharmaceutical companies are also exploring the efficacy of weight loss drugs for diseases including MASH and chronic kidney disease (CKD). MASH, formerly known as non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), is a serious fatty liver disease that refers to the accumulation of excess fat in the liver, leading to organ inflammation, fibrosis, or scar formation.
Merck has already faced fierce competition: the later trial data of Eli Lilly's experimental weight loss oral drug orforglipron is expected to be released in April 2025; The latest mid-term study published by Zealand Pharma in Denmark last week showed that the empirical weight loss drug survodutide can significantly improve the symptoms of MASH and reduce the formation of liver scars in patients.
According to data released by Zealand Pharma and partner Bollinger Ingelheim in February this year; Among the trial participants receiving survey treatment, up to 83% reported improvement in symptoms, while in the control group receiving placebo treatment, this proportion was only 18.2%.
Boehringer Ingelheim revealed at the financial report conference in April this year that the GLP-1 drug developed in collaboration with Zealand Pharma is expected to be launched in 2027 or 2028.
Mohammed Tawil, President and CEO of Berger Ingelheim Greater China, told First Financial reporters that besides weight loss therapy, MASH is a more promising treatment for GLP-1 drugs. He cited data stating that the number of MASH patients is expected to grow rapidly in the next five years, and by 2030, the number of MASH patients in China is expected to increase to around 48 million, a 48% increase from 2016.
Gao Haoting believes that cardiovascular, renal, and metabolic drugs (CRM) will demonstrate great potential. In the future, the approval of surveyotide is expected to further strengthen Bollinger Ingelheim's advantages in the CRM field.