Scholar Rock's Atrophy Drug When Combined With Eli Lilly's Zepbound Shows Around 55% Better Muscle Preservation In Weight Loss Study

Scholar Rock SRRK revealed results on Wednesday from the Phase 2 EMBRAZE proof-of-concept trial assessing apitegromab in combination with tirzepatide to preserve lean mass during tirzepatide-induced weight loss.

Tirzepatide is an active ingredient in Eli Lilly And Co’s LLY widely used Mounjaro and Zepbound for diabetes and weight loss, respectively.

The trial demonstrated that 30% of the total weight loss with tirzepatide alone was due to lean mass loss.

Apitegromab therapy (10 mg/kg) with tripeptide preserved an additional 4.2 pounds (1.9 kilograms) or 54.9% (p=0.001) of lean mass compared to tripeptide alone, leading to higher-quality weight loss.

Also Read: Scholar Rock Stock Jumps On Additional Data From Pivotal Trial Of Muscular Dystrophy Treatment

The study showed that 30.2% of the total weight loss with tirzepatide, the ingredient in Zepbound, was due to lean mass loss.

According to 24-week data, adding 10 mg/kg apitegromab therapy to the tripeptide regimen halved the proportion of lean mass lost to 14.6%.

The company described the apitegromab-tirzepatide combo as "higher quality of weight loss." Specifically, these patients lost 85% and 15% of their fat and lean mass, respectively, while the ratio for the tirzepatide-placebo cohort was 70% and 30%.

Regarding total weight loss, patients on apitegromab-tirzepatide saw their weight drop by 12.3% compared to 13.4% for those on tirzepatide-placebo.

Apitegromab with tirzepatide was generally well tolerated by participants.

Earlier in June, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. REGN released interim results from the ongoing Phase 2 COURAGE trial investigating combinations of Novo Nordisk A/S NVO Wegovy (semaglutide) (GLP-1 receptor agonist) and trevogrumab (anti-GDF8/anti-myostatin) with or without garetosmab (anti-activin A) for obesity.

The trial demonstrated that approximately 35% of semaglutide-induced weight loss was due to loss of lean mass.

Last week, Juvena Therapeutics Inc. announced global licensing and multi-target research collaboration with Eli Lilly. The two companies aim to develop and commercialize drug candidates that improve muscle health and body composition.

Price Action: SRRK stock is up 18% at $36.77 at the last check on Wednesday.

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