Regeneron Pharmaceuticals announced promising interim results from a mid-stage clinical study showing that its experimental weight-loss drug trevogrumab, when combined with Novo Nordisk's Wegovy (semaglutide), helped preserve muscle mass while enhancing fat loss in patients with obesity.
Significant Muscle Preservation Benefits
The combination therapy demonstrated the ability to preserve up to 80% of lean muscle mass compared to treatment with semaglutide alone, according to interim data released by Regeneron. This represents a significant advancement in addressing one of the key challenges in obesity treatment, where substantial weight loss often comes at the cost of muscle mass reduction.
The dual combination of trevogrumab and semaglutide not only preserved muscle but also increased fat loss in study participants, potentially offering a more targeted approach to weight management that maintains metabolically active tissue while reducing adipose tissue.
Triple Combination Shows Safety Concerns
While the dual combination showed promise, Regeneron reported that a triple combination therapy including semaglutide, trevogrumab, and the experimental antibody garetosmab led to substantially higher discontinuation rates. Patients receiving the three-drug combination experienced tolerability issues and other side effects that resulted in more participants leaving the study prematurely.
This finding underscores the delicate balance required when combining multiple therapeutic agents, where additional efficacy must be weighed against potential increases in adverse events and patient tolerability.
Clinical Development Timeline
Regeneron indicated that the complete dataset from this mid-stage study will become available later this year. The full results are expected to provide more comprehensive safety and efficacy data that will be crucial for determining the next steps in the clinical development program for trevogrumab as a combination therapy for obesity treatment.
The muscle-preserving properties of this combination approach could represent an important advancement in obesity therapeutics, particularly given the growing recognition of the importance of maintaining lean body mass during weight loss interventions.
