As Eli Lilly (NYSE: LLY) and Novo Nordisk (Nasdaq Copenhagen: NOVO-B) scramble to bring an oral glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist to market for obesity, a much smaller potential rival spotlighted positive mid-stage clinical data that captivated investors enough to send its share price more than doubling this past week. Structure Therapeutics (NASDAQ: GPCR) shares soared 102% after it reported positive data from its Phase II ACCESS clinical program assessing its oral GLP-1 candidate aleniglipron in people with obesity and/or overweight with at least one weight-related co-morbidity. Aleniglipron (formerly GSBR-1290) is designed to be a biased G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) agonist, which selectively activates the G-protein signaling pathway. If approved, Structure would compete with oral GLP-1s for weight management by the leading obesity drug developers, whose candidates could both win FDA approval in the new year. Novo Nordisk’s once-daily oral 7.2 mg Wegovy® (semaglutide) is the subject of a supplemental New Drug Application under FDA review, with positive data from the Phase III OASIS 4 trial (NCT05564117) released over the past year. In data published in The New England Journal of Medicine, Novo Nordisk reported trial participants receiving oral semaglutide showed a mean change in body weight from baseline to week 64 of -13.6% compared with -2.2% for placebo. Lilly’s orfoglipron is in Phase III trials with data due in 2026. Orfoglipron dazzled investors in August with data showing patients taking the pill lowered their weight by an average of 10.5% (22.9 lbs) vs. 2.2% (5.1 lbs) with placebo.…
