NVO Stock up on Plans to Advance Obesity Candidate Amycretin
Novo Nordisk NVO announced plans to advance amycretin, for weight management, into late-stage development. Amycretin is being developed for subcutaneous and oral administration.
Shares of this Denmark-based company gained 2.95% on June 12, following the announcement.
Oral amycretin is a novel, unimolecular co-agonist of both GLP-1 and amylin receptors being developed by Novo Nordisk to provide an efficacious and convenient treatment for obesity and type 2 diabetes in adults.
NVO decided to advance the candidate into phase III based on feedback received from regulatory authorities following end-of-phase II interactions for subcutaneous and oral amycretin in weight management.
A phase I study evaluated the single-ascending dose and multiple-ascending doses for oral amycretin, up to 2 times 50 mg, in people with overweight or obesity, with a total treatment duration of up to 12 weeks.
A phase Ib/IIa study investigated the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics, and proof-of-concept of once-weekly subcutaneous amycretin in people with overweight or obesity. The trial was a combined single ascending dose, multiple ascending dose and dose-response trial investigating three different maintenance doses with a total treatment duration of up to 36 weeks.
The phase III program on amycretin is planned to be initiated during the first quarter of 2026.
Buoyed by the stupendous success of its blockbuster semaglutide products, Wegovy (obesity) and Ozempic (diabetes), NVO is now developing several next-generation candidates in its pipeline, especially targeting the lucrative U.S. market.
CagriSema, a fixed-dose combination of a long-acting amylin analogue and Wegovy, is the most advanced candidate in Novo Nordisk's obesity pipeline.
Novo Nordisk will present full results from the phase III REDEFINE 1 and 2 studies on CagriSema shortly.
Management stated that the REDEFINE 1 and 2 studies will provide insights into the transformational potential of CagriSema.
The FDA accepted Novo Nordisk's regulatory application, seeking the approval of oral semaglutide 25 mg for obesity, for review. A final decision from the regulatory body is expected around the turn of the year.
Year to date, Novo Nordisk's shares have lost 4.7% against the industry's growth of 2.9%.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
The stock price was under pressure at the start of the year due to recent market challenges. Stiff competition in the obesity market from its arch-rival, Eli Lilly LLY, along with pipeline and regulatory setbacks, weighed on the share price. We note that NVO's semaglutide drugs have only been off the FDA's supply shortage list since February 2025.
Eli Lilly markets its tirzepatide medicines as Mounjaro for T2D and Zepbound for obesity. Like NVO, LLY is also evaluating several next-generation weight loss candidates. LLY, too, has achieved stupendous success for its obesity drugs.
Nonetheless, NVO stock has witnessed some recovery this week.
Novo Nordisk gained 5% on June 10, following a report that activist hedge fund Parvus Asset Management is building a stake in the company.
Per the Financial Times, this London-based hedge fund is raising its stake in NVO to influence the appointment of the company's new chief executive officer (CEO).
Last month, shares of the company dipped after it announced that CEO Lars Fruergaard Jørgensen would step down from his position following a mutual agreement with the company's board.
Novo Nordisk currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). A couple of better-ranked large-cap pharma stocks are Novartis NVS and Bayer BAYRY, both carrying a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) at present. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Novartis' 2025 earnings per share (EPS) has risen from $8.46 to $8.74 over the past 60 days. EPS estimates for 2026 have jumped 35 cents to $9.02 during this timeframe. The stock has risen 27% so far this year.
BAYRY's 2025 EPS estimate has increased from $1.19 to $1.25 for 2025 over the past 60 days, while that for 2026 has gone up from $1.28 to $1.31 over the same timeframe. Year to date, shares of Bayer have surged 65.1%.
BAYRY's earnings beat estimates in one of the trailing four quarters, matched twice and missed on the remaining occasion, the average negative surprise being 13.91%.
Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report
Novartis AG (NVS) : Free Stock Analysis Report
Novo Nordisk A/S (NVO) : Free Stock Analysis Report
Eli Lilly and Company (LLY) : Free Stock Analysis Report
Bayer Aktiengesellschaft (BAYRY) : Free Stock Analysis Report
This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).
Zacks Investment Research
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Newsweek
an hour ago
- Newsweek
How Animal Testing in US Could Be Transformed Under Trump
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Millions of animals each year are killed in U.S. laboratories as part of medical training and chemical, food, drug and cosmetic testing, according to the non-profit animal rights organization People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). For many animals held captive for research, including a huge range of species from dogs, cats and hamsters to elephants, dolphins and many other species, pain is "not minimized," U.S. Department of Agriculture data shows. The issue of animal testing is something most Americans agree on: it needs to change and gradually be stopped. A Morning Consult poll conducted at the end of last year found that 80 percent of the 2,205 participants either agreed or strongly agreed with the statement: "The US government should commit to a plan to phase out experiments on animals." Since President Donald Trump began his second term, his administration has been making moves to transform and reduce animal testing in country, although the question remains as to whether it will be enough to spare many more animals from pain and suffering this year. Animal Testing In US Could Be Transformed Animal Testing In US Could Be Transformed Photo-illustration by Newsweek/Getty/Canva What Is The Trump Administration Doing About It? There have been various steps taken in different federal agencies to tackle the issue of animal testing since Trump was sworn in on January 20. In April, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced it was "taking a groundbreaking step to advance public health by replacing animal testing in the development of monoclonal antibody therapies and other drugs with more effective, human-relevant methods." The FDA said that its animal testing requirement will be "reduced, refined, or potentially replaced" with a range of approaches, including artificial intelligence-based models, known as New Approach Methodologies or NAMs data. A Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) official told Newsweek: "The agency is paving the way for faster, safer, and more cost-effective treatments for American patients. "As we restore the agency's commitment to gold-standard science and integrity, this shift will help accelerate cures, lower drug prices, and reaffirm U.S. leadership in ethical, modern science." The National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced it was "adopting a new initiative to expand innovative, human-based science while reducing animal use in research," in alignment with the FDA's initiative. The agency said that while "traditional animal models continue to be vital to advancing scientific knowledge," new and emerging technologies could act as alternative methods, either alone or in combination with animal models. The NIH Office of Extramural Research told Newsweek it was "committed to transparently assessing where animal use can be reduced or eliminated by transitioning to [new approach methodologies (NAMs)]." "Areas where research using animals is currently necessary represent high-priority opportunities for investment in NAMs," the agency added. It added that it will "further its efforts to coordinate agency-wide efforts to develop, validate, and scale the use of NAMs across the agency's biomedical research portfolio and facilitate interagency coordination and regulatory translation for public health protection." During Trump's first term, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) signed a directive to "prioritize efforts to reduce animal testing and committed to reducing testing on mammals by 30 percent by 2025 and to eliminate it completely by 2035," an EPA spokesperson told Newsweek. Although, the spokesperson added: "the Biden Administration halted progress on these efforts by delaying compliance deadlines." As a member of the House, Lee Zeldin, the EPA's current administrator, co-sponsored various bills during Trump's first term regarding animal cruelty, covering issues such as phasing out animal-based testing for cosmetic products; ending taxpayer funding for painful experiments on dogs at the Department of Veteran Affairs; empowering federal law enforcement to prosecute animal abuse cases that cross state lines; and others, the spokesperson said. What The Experts Think Needs To Be Done The Trump administration's efforts to tackle the issue of animal testing appear to be a step in the right direction, according to experts who spoke with Newsweek. "I was pleasantly surprised and quite frankly a bit shocked to read the simultaneous announcements by the NIH and the FDA regarding a new emphasis on the use of alternatives to animals," Jeffrey Morgan, a professor of pathology and laboratory medicine at Brown University in Rhode Island, told Newsweek. Morgan, who is also the director of the Center for Alternatives to Animals in Testing at Brown University, said that both agencies are moving together in the same direction on the issue "sends a unified and very powerful message to the research and biotech communities." He added that the announcements showed "a major acknowledgement of the limitations of the use of animals in research and testing." "What is especially exciting is that the NIH announcement will encourage the entry of new investigators into the field, further accelerating innovation in alternatives with exciting impacts for both discovery and applied research across all diseases," he said. He added that the FDA announcement and its emphasis on a new regulatory science that embraces data from alternatives was "equally exciting." "The demands of this new regulatory science will likewise accelerate innovation because it will establish the much-needed regulatory framework for the rigorous evaluation of data from alternatives," he said. While the administration's initiatives to shift research away from animal testing is heading in the right direction, its policies are "overdue," Dr. Thomas Hartung, a professor in the department of environmental health and engineering at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Maryland, told Newsweek. "The animal tests for safety were introduced more than 50 years ago. There is no other area of science where we do not adapt to scientific progress," he said. Hartung added that animal "testing takes too long and is too expensive to really provide the safety consumers want." He said that running animal tests for new chemicals can cost millions and take years in some cases. "Nobody can wait that long, even if they can afford the testing costs," he said. Hartung also believes the shifts in the industry to reduce animal testing have been "coming for a while," as over the last two decades, America's opposition to animal use in medical research has been increasing. "The alignment of FDA and NIH really makes the difference now, which I think is evidence of a strong relationship of their leaderships," he said. Yet in order to make a real difference, Hartung said clear deadlines are key to show that "this is not just lip service." He also said that he thought "the transformative nature of artificial intelligence in this field is not fully acknowledged." "We also need an objective framework for change to better science, such as the evidence-based toxicology approach," he said.
Business Upturn
an hour ago
- Business Upturn
GroomYourGram: The Profit-First Influencer Agency Rewriting India's Marketing Playbook
In a space often defined by vanity metrics and unpredictability, GroomYourGram has emerged as a refreshingly grounded and profitable force in influencer marketing. Founded five years ago, this Mumbai-based agency has worked with over 300 brands and powered more than 1,000 campaigns—ranging from beauty and skincare to automobile and finance. With a team of 32 operating out of its Lokhandwala office, GroomYourGram delivers not only scale but results. A core strength lies in its unparalleled access to India's creator economy. With a curated community of over 400,000 influencers and 10,000+ active campaign participants monthly, GroomYourGram helps brands like Juicy Chemistry, Tira Beauty, Pilgrim, and Dot & Key craft meaningful narratives. On the corporate front, the agency has driven HDFC Bank's LinkedIn growth strategy and supported pharma giants such as Cipla Health and Glenmark in awareness initiatives. From pioneering Instagram Reels marketing to being among the top 4 agencies for Moj, GroomYourGram has always anticipated trends before they broke mainstream. It has led campaigns with celebrities like Kiara Advani, Janhvi Kapoor, and Ranveer Singh for brands including Mercedes-Benz, Renault, Skoda Kylak, Pepe Jeans, Snitch, and Spykar. Spearheaded by Palak Tannaa, who commands a LinkedIn audience of over 62,000 professionals, the team combines creative ingenuity with data intelligence. Despite multiple investment offers, the agency continues to be self-funded—prioritizing vision over valuation. As a brand that has been profitable since Day One, GroomYourGram exemplifies what happens when influence meets intention. What sets the agency apart is its refusal to follow a one-size-fits-all strategy. Each campaign is customized—whether it's for a youth-centric fashion brand like Freakins or a global skincare label entering Tier II cities. Their campaigns aren't just viral—they're valuable. The agency's model blends strategy with scale. In a world saturated by content, it doesn't just amplify messages—it aligns them with audiences that matter. Fashion clients like Libas, Spykar, and Pepe Jeans see tailored influencer-led storytelling campaigns that go beyond 'likes' and drive brand lift. Healthcare and pharma clients get compliance-ready creativity, while finance brands benefit from thought leadership-led influencer models. Internally, the company operates like a startup but performs like an enterprise. Its operational agility allows quick campaign turnaround, while its in-house tech stack and talent pipeline ensure scalability without compromise. The company is in the process of rolling out an AI-powered influencer analytics tool to further help brands measure ROI and sentiment in real time. With its finger firmly on the cultural pulse, GroomYourGram is not just building campaigns—it's building a new marketing DNA for India's digital-first brands. As brands in India increasingly seek partners who can combine storytelling, performance, and trust, GroomYourGram is becoming the agency of choice—not just for creators and companies, but for the future of digital India. For Business Upturn readers who track growth-focused stories and high-ROI ventures, this isn't just about numbers. It's about sustainable scale, high-value execution, and the future of profitable digital innovation. FOR MORE INFORMATION: Ahmedabad Plane Crash
Medscape
an hour ago
- Medscape
Fast Five Quiz: Alcohol Use Disorder
Alcohol use disorder remains a significant public health challenge in the United States, affecting more than 29 million individuals and contributing to more than 140,000 deaths each year. Despite its high prevalence and devastating health consequences, alcohol use disorder often goes underdiagnosed and undertreated. A widely accepted heuristic framework conceptualizes alcohol use disorder as a 3-stage cycle, binge/intoxication, withdrawal/negative affect, and preoccupation/anticipation, offering clinicians a lens through which to understand its complex neurobiological underpinnings and diverse clinical presentations. Although effective behavioral therapies and several US Food and Drug Administration-approved medications are available for the treatment of alcohol use disorder, these interventions remain markedly underused, contributing to a substantial treatment gap. How much do you know about alcohol misuse and alcohol use disorder? Test your knowledge with this quick quiz. Alcohol misuse in alcohol use disorder can vary, from a pattern of intermittent episodes of binge drinking, to a pattern of prolonged heavy drinking over longer periods of time, to a continual drinking pattern due to fear of alcohol withdrawal. A heavy drinking day is defined as consuming 4 or more drinks for females and 5 or more drinks for males in a single day. In the United States, a standard drink is defined as 12 oz of beer, 5 oz of wine, and 1.5 oz of a distilled beverage. This definition helps identify patterns of alcohol misuse that might indicate alcohol use disorder. Learn more about alcoholism guidelines. Alcohol use disorder is more common in males, although the gap is narrowing. Although males are more likely to engage in frequent and heavy consumption, have a greater consumption of spirits, and experience higher rates of alcohol use mortality, females are at greater risk for certain health complications from alcohol, such as liver damage and experiencing higher blood alcohol concentrations at the same level of intake. Learn more about alcoholism presentation. The most frequent central nervous system consequence of persistent alcohol consumption is alcoholic cerebellar degeneration. This condition results from alcohol toxicity leading to damage of the cerebellum, the brain area responsible for coordination and balance. It commonly presents with gait instability, and balance problems, affecting 10%-25% of individuals with chronic alcohol use. Wernicke's encephalopathy is an acute, reversible condition caused by thiamine deficiency; it is not the most frequent long-term central nervous system consequence of alcohol consumption. Korsakoff syndrome is a chronic neuropsychiatric disorder that often follows untreated Wernicke's encephalopathy and is caused by malnutrition in combination with prolonged drinking. Although chronic alcohol use can lead to alcohol-related dementia, it occurs less frequently than alcoholic cerebellar degeneration. Learn more about Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome. Alcoholic polyneuropathy, caused by prolonged alcohol use and often associated with nutritional deficiencies like thiamine deficiency, typically presents as a symmetrical sensory neuropathy. Females have a greater rate of alcoholic polyneuropathy. The most common symptoms of alcoholic polyneuropathy are ataxia, pain, and paresthesia. Other frequent symptoms include burning pain in the arms, soles of the feet and toes, and cramping in the calves and hands. Skin alterations do occur in alcoholic polyneuropathy, but they are considered secondary or less common symptoms compared with the hallmark neurological signs. The muscle weakness seen in alcoholic polyneuropathy primarily affects distal muscles, like the feet and hands. Hair loss can happen as a minor trophic change, but it is not a defining or common symptom of alcoholic polyneuropathy. Learn more about alcoholic neuropathy. Benzodiazepines are the recommended class of medication for treating alcohol withdrawal syndrome because they are effective in preventing severe complications of alcohol withdrawal syndrome, such as seizures and delirium tremens, and are considered the criterion standard treatment due to their fast onset, long duration, and safety profile. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors do not target the GABAergic or glutamatergic systems involved in alcohol withdrawal syndrome, making them ineffective for managing withdrawal symptoms. Beta-blockers can help control some autonomic symptoms like tremors or tachycardia but do not prevent seizures or delirium tremens, so they are not appropriate as primary treatment. N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonists can modulate glutamate activity but lack enough evidence to be first-line therapy for alcohol withdrawal syndrome. Learn more about alcohol withdrawal syndrome.
