Amgen's New Drug MariTide: 20% Weight Loss in 52 Weeks Shocks the Market

Amgen announced that its weight loss therapy, MariTide, achieved positive results in a Phase II clinical study over 52 weeks, showing an average weight loss of about 20% in non-diabetic obese or overweight individuals, without a weight plateau. However, due to high side effects and not surpassing Eli Lilly’s Zepbound, Amgen's stock fell over 12.3%. In the trial, MariTide was taken monthly or less frequently, with a maximum weight loss of 20%. While the effects were comparable to Wegovy and Zepbound, MariTide's oral formulation might be more appealing. Nonetheless, MariTide had significant side effects, with about 11% of patients dropping out due to adverse effects compared to 7% for Zepbound. Amgen stated that nausea and vomiting were typically mild and brief, primarily related to initial dosing, and could be alleviated by adjusting the timing of administration.