"Altimmune's Pemvidutide Minimizes Muscle Loss in Obesity Drug Trial"
Altimmune's experimental weight loss drug, pemvidutide, showed promising results in a midstage trial by minimizing the loss of muscle mass while helping patients shed weight, potentially setting it apart in the competitive weight loss drug market. The drug, which activates gut hormones to increase energy expenditure, demonstrated a significant preservation of lean mass during weight loss, addressing a major concern in obesity treatments. While still needing late-stage trials, these results suggest a potential edge over existing treatments, such as Novo Nordisk's semaglutide, which showed a higher rate of lean mass decline. Other companies, like Eli Lilly, are also exploring ways to help patients maintain muscle mass while losing weight.