metabolic_disease

PLAINSBORO – November 08, 2026 -- Novo Nordisk reported that once-weekly semaglutide 2.4 mg improved liver enzymes and non-invasive markers of disease activity and fibrosis at week 72 in 106 adults with MASH, liver scarring and a BMI below 27 kg/m2, versus placebo.

The post hoc analysis of the phase 3 ESSENCE trial was presented orally at The Liver Meeting 2026 in Denver, Colorado.

Subgroup of 106 patients drawn from 800-patient interim analysis

The subgroup comes from the 800 randomized participants in the 72-week interim analysis of part 1 of ESSENCE. Measures that favored semaglutide included liver injury markers ALT and AST, along with FAST, ELF and PRO-C3. ELF and PRO-C3 are non-invasive fibrosis biomarkers and add fibrosis information alongside biopsy-based endpoints.

PLAINSBORO, N.J. – November 07, 2026 -- Novo Nordisk reported that adults with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) who started semaglutide 2.4 mg once weekly lost a statistically significant mean 18.9 lb (8.6 kg; about 8%) from baseline versus patients on resmetirom at six months, according to real-world data presented at AASLD The Liver Meeting 2026 in Denver.

PLATINUM-Truveta compares 2,873 semaglutide patients with 2,285 on resmetirom

The retrospective cohort study drew on de-identified electronic medical records from 30 US health systems in the Truveta database, covering June 2021 through March 2026. Semaglutide 2.4 mg was also associated with significantly greater reductions than resmetirom in AST and some cardiometabolic measures. Researchers assessed ALT, AST, body weight, HbA1c, platelets, triglycerides, HDL and LDL at three and six months.

HONG KONG – October 29, 2026 -- Ascletis Pharma (HKEX: 1672) reported that its oral small molecule GLP-1 receptor agonist ASC30 cut HbA1c by a placebo-adjusted 1.7% at the 40 mg dose, 1.6% at 60 mg and 1.7% at 80 mg in a U.S. Phase II study in type 2 diabetes. The 13-week trial (NCT07321678) met its primary endpoint and all secondary endpoints, the company said.

ASC30 delivers placebo-adjusted weight loss of up to 4.4% with no plateau

Placebo-adjusted body weight reductions at 13 weeks were 4.4% (40 mg, n=20), 3.8% (60 mg, n=29) and 4.0% (80 mg, n=28). No weight plateau was observed. Baseline average body weight was 93.7 kg. The weight results were statistically significant versus placebo (p = 0.001 to 0.003).

Beijing/Florence – September 09, 2026 -- Gan & Lee Pharmaceuticals (603087.SH) has signed an exclusive licensing agreement with Italy's The Menarini Group for its GLP-1 receptor agonist bofanglutide, a deal worth up to €726 million excluding royalties.

Gan & Lee secures €62 million upfront payment plus milestone potential of €664 million

Under the terms, Gan & Lee will receive a €62 million upfront payment, up to €664 million in milestone payments, and double-digit royalties on net sales across the licensed territory. Menarini will handle regulatory filings and commercialization in 39 countries, covering all 27 European Union member states, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Balkan nations.