Kaboompics.com / Pexels
A new drug developed by California-based pharmaceutical company Amgen has shown strong potential as an effective obesity treatment. In a completed phase II trial, participants receiving a once-monthly injection of the drug—called MariTide—lost up to 16% of their body weight within a year.
That level of weight loss is similar to the average results seen with the widely used weekly medication Ozempic. However, a once-a-month injection may be easier for patients to maintain and could be more practical for those in remote areas with limited access to frequent medical deliveries.
The phase 2 trial included 592 adults over the age of 18 with a body mass index (BMI) over 30. Some participants were not only obese but also living with Type 2 diabetes.
Monthly Injections Led to Up to 16% Weight Loss—Far Exceeding Placebo Results
The findings were promising: those in the treatment group who received an injection every four weeks lost an average of 12.3% to 16.2% of their body weight after one year. In comparison, participants in the placebo group saw only a 2.5% average weight loss.
Participants who had both obesity and diabetes experienced only slightly less weight loss than those without diabetes. Notably, their weight loss hadn’t plateaued by the end of the year, suggesting continued progress might be possible with ongoing treatment. The study’s findings were published this week in The New England Journal of Medicine.
MariTide Combines Two Hunger-Regulating Mechanisms to Support Weight Loss
So how does MariTide work? Short for Maridebart Cafraglutide, the drug uses a dual approach to influence the body’s hunger and satiety signals. One component is a glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1 RA), which mimics a natural hormone that tells the brain when the stomach is full. This is the same mechanism used in Ozempic and helps prolong feelings of fullness, making it easier to eat less.
MariTide also blocks the GIP receptor, unlike some drugs that activate it. Animal studies suggest that inhibiting this pathway—especially alongside GLP-1 activity—can enhance weight loss by improving brain-to-body metabolic signaling.
Designed with a long half-life, MariTide stays in the body longer and only needs to be taken once a month. While gastrointestinal side effects were common, they eased at lower or gradually increased doses.
A 72-week phase 3 trial is now underway to see if MariTide can outperform the ~16% weight loss seen in phase 2, and to test its effectiveness for people with heart disease and sleep apnea.
MariTide joins a wave of new obesity treatments, including a Chinese semaglutide-class drug finishing phase III trials, three new drugs from Novo Nordisk, and a pill from Monash University targeting weight loss without muscle loss.
Read the original article on: New Atlas