semaglutide leads the trillion dollar market

Novo Nordisk, the original manufacturer of semaglutide, generated over $3 billion in revenue in the first half of the year due to the drug's success in weight loss. The Chinese patent for this star drug will expire in 2026, and at that time, the GLP-1 market is expected to see multiple domestic competitors competing for this billion dollar market.

Dual target drugs are highly sought after

In addition to semaglutide, dual target drugs have also become a research and development hotspot. Eli Lilly's Tilpotide has achieved great success through its GLP-1/GIP dual activation mechanism, with its weight loss version generating a revenue of $1.761 billion in the first half of the year. In China, companies such as Hengrui Pharmaceutical, Xinda Biotechnology, Borui Pharmaceutical, and Zhongsheng Pharmaceutical have all deployed dual target drugs and have successively announced their latest research and development progress.

Hengrui Pharmaceutical's GLP-1 class innovative drugs HRS-7535, HRS9531, and HRS-4729 have been authorized to Hercules Corporation in the United States, with a transaction amount of up to 6 billion US dollars. At the annual meeting of the American diabetes Association in 2024, Hengrui disclosed the phase II clinical data of its double target drug HRS9531: the drug significantly reduced weight in obese patients, improved multiple metabolic indicators, and was well tolerated.

Significant progress has also been made in the GLP-1/GCGR dual agonist of Sinovac Biotech, Masidopeptide. According to the semi annual report of 2024, two marketing applications of Mashdopeptide for obesity and type 2 diabetes have been accepted by NMPA. Xinda also plans to expand its indications to areas such as adolescent obesity, metabolic associated steatohepatitis (MASH), and obstructive sleep apnea.

Borui Pharmaceutical focuses on its dual target drug BGM0504 injection. Phase II clinical trial of weight loss indication of the drug has been completed, and all subjects have been enrolled in the group, and head to head studies have been carried out with smeglutide in patients with type 2 diabetes. The preliminary data is bright: during the 18 week treatment period, the patients' glycosylated hemoglobin has decreased by 2.76% on average.

The dual target drug RAY1225 from Zhongsheng Pharmaceutical exhibits superior pharmacokinetic properties. The drug has shown in phase II clinical trials that the injection interval is expected to be extended to two weeks, and the new indication for treating MASH has also been accepted by the National Medical Products Administration.