AstraZeneca's oral GLP-1 combo for obesity and comorbidities to face competitive market

AstraZeneca (LSE: AZN) recently announced its strategy for the cardiometabolic market, in particular treating obesity and its comorbidities, by combining the glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1RA) therapy that was recently acquired from China’s Eccogene (ECC5004) with its cardio-metabolic therapies such as AstraZeneca’s sodium-glucose co-transporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitor Farxiga (dapagliflozin).

The UK pharma major intends to combine ECC5004 with treatments in its cardio pipeline and look to develop therapies that address the comorbidities associated with obesity. The oral GLP-1 combination is expected to face an increasingly competitive comorbidities space in the obesity market, says pharma analytics firm GlobalData.

It has long been known that patients with obesity often have additional comorbidities such as hypertension, type 2 diabetes (T2D), metabolic syndrome, or cardio-renal disease. However, the comorbidities space in the obesity market is becoming highly competitive, with Eli Lilly’s (NYSE: LLY) Mounjaro (tirzepatide) having potential use for cardiovascular disease and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and Novo Nordisk’s (NOV: N) Wegovy (semaglutide) recently demonstrating a significant reduction in the incidence of heart attack, stroke, or death from heart disease.