Pharmaceutical companies are increasing their research into weight-loss medications that protect muscle tissue because the current drugs Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy and Eli Lilly’s Zepbound cause muscle loss.
Weight loss treatments and surgical procedures help patients lose weight but simultaneously cause muscle loss which results in frailty and elevated fall risks particularly among elderly patients. Major pharmaceutical companies now dedicate resources to develop medications which protect muscle tissue during weight loss programs.
Eli Lilly invested $2 billion in 2023 to acquire Versanis Bio because the company developed bimagrumab which blocks myostatin to prevent muscle growth inhibition. Lilly conducts clinical trials to evaluate bimagrumab both as a standalone treatment and when used in combination with Wegovy.
The company works with Laekna from China to develop another muscle-sparing agent which expands their pipeline of muscle-sparing treatments.
Regeneron conducts clinical trials for its antibody drug trevogrumab which combines with Wegovy and garetosmab in a research study that includes both healthy participants and obese patients.
The obesity treatment market expansion into a multi-billion-dollar industry has made muscle preservation the new focus for drugmakers who want to create unique treatments that physicians and patients need.
