Industry story
Bimagrumab plus semaglutide achieved bariatric-surgery-level fat loss in trial
diet-nutrition drug-discovery drug-treatment medical-innovation
In the BELIEVE trial — a 72-week, 500-person study — the highest-dose combination of bimagrumab (an antibody that blocks muscle-growth inhibitors) and semaglutide (the active ingredient in Ozempic/Wegovy) produced roughly 22–23% total body weight loss and a 45.7% reduction in starting body fat. Lloyd Klickstein, the physician-scientist who led the program, said that level of fat loss is comparable to bariatric surgery, making it the first medical therapy to reach that threshold. The combination also preserved or increased lean muscle mass — a critical concern for older adults losing weight on GLP-1 drugs — and reduced hemoglobin A1C (a measure of long-term blood sugar control) in people with or at risk for type 2 diabetes. One notable side effect was a roughly 20% increase in LDL cholesterol, attributed to activin receptors in the liver; Klickstein said this is monitorable and treatable. Eli Lilly acquired the asset and is currently running a combination study with tirzepatide (Mounjaro/Zepbound).
Full analysis
In the BELIEVE trial — a 72-week, 500-person study — the highest-dose combination of bimagrumab (an antibody that blocks muscle-growth inhibitors) and semaglutide (the active ingredient in Ozempic/Wegovy) produced roughly 22–23% total body weight loss and a 45.7% reduction in starting body fat. Lloyd Klickstein, the physician-scientist who led the program, said that level of fat loss is comparable to bariatric surgery, making it the first medical therapy to reach that threshold. The combination also preserved or increased lean muscle mass — a critical concern for older adults losing weight on GLP-1 drugs — and reduced hemoglobin A1C (a measure of long-term blood sugar control) in people with or at risk for type 2 diabetes. One notable side effect was a roughly 20% increase in LDL cholesterol, attributed to activin receptors in the liver; Klickstein said this is monitorable and treatable. Eli Lilly acquired the asset and is currently running a combination study with tirzepatide (Mounjaro/Zepbound).
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