Genentech’s experimental drug enicepatide achieved significant blood sugar and weight loss reductions in a phase II trial, signalling potential new options in the competitive obesity and diabetes treatment market.
Genentech said its experimental diabetes and obesity drug enicepatide met both main goals in a phase II study, reporting reductions in blood sugar and bodyweight over 48 weeks in adults with type 2 diabetes who were overweight or obese. The company said the highest dose tested produced a mean fall in HbA1c of 2.65 percentage points and average weight loss of 15.5%, with no clear sign that weight loss had levelled off by the end of the study.
The results come as drugmakers rush to expand treatment options in the fast-growing obesity and diabetes market, where existing incretin-based therapies have already transformed care but also intensified competition. Genentech said the safety profile of enicepatide was in line with other medicines in the class, with gastrointestinal side-effects the most common and few patients stopping treatment because of adverse events.
The study, called CT-388-104, enrolled 447 adults across multiple centres in a randomised, double-blind trial, according to the company’s clinical-trials listing. Genentech said 90% of people on the 24 mg dose reached an HbA1c of 6.5% or below, while 62% were in the normoglycaemic range, which the company defined as below 5.7%.
The latest data build on earlier phase Ib and phase II findings that the company presented in 2024 and at diabetes meetings earlier this year, when it described enicepatide as a once-weekly dual GLP-1/GIP receptor agonist. Genentech says it is advancing the drug into later-stage studies, including two phase III weight-management trials and plans for a glycaemic-control programme and cardiovascular outcomes trials in 2027.
Disclaimer: This content is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical judgment, advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
