by CHEN Yang

China's Innovent Biologics said its dual receptor agonist Mastutide delivered stronger results than Novo Nordisk's semaglutide (Ozempic) in a Phase III trial among Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes and obesity, signaling how Chinese drugmakers are narrowing the gap in the global obesity-drug race.

After 32 weeks, 48 percent of patients taking Mastutide achieved both glucose control (HbA1c < 7%) and at least 10 percent weight loss, compared with 21 percent for semaglutide. Side effects were mostly mild gastrointestinal reactions, the company said on Oct. 27.

Mastutide is a GCG/GLP-1 dual receptor agonist, while semaglutide acts only on GLP-1. Innovent said this is the first global Phase III study directly comparing a GCG/GLP-1 dual agonist with semaglutide.

The findings add to global evidence of the power of multi-target therapies. Eli Lilly's tirzepatide, a GIP/GLP-1 dual agonist, has already shown greater efficacy than semaglutide in international studies.

The Economist estimates the GLP-1 drug market could reach US$165 billion by 2031, with weight-loss treatments accounting for about 60 percent. In China, nearly a dozen firms are developing semaglutide analogs and next-generation dual agonists, adding to competition with Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly.