Novo Nordisk’s obesity newcomer monlunabant heads into Phase IIb

Danish drugmaker Novo Nordisk - a frontrunner in the obesity space with the GLP-1 receptor agonist Wegovy (semaglutide) - is now making swift progress in the field with monlunabant, a small molecule oral cannabinoid receptor 1 (CB1) inverse agonist.

Monlunabant, formerly INV-202, was part of the acquisition of Inversago Pharmaceuticals, announced in August 2023 and potentially worth more than $1 billion, if certain development and commercial milestones are achieved.

Novo Nordisk has now announced headline results from a Phase IIa trial with monlunabant investigating the efficacy and safety of a once-daily 10 mg, 20 mg and 50 mg dose compared to placebo on body weight after 16 weeks in 243 people with obesity and metabolic syndrome. People were equally randomized among the four treatment arms.