Oral GLP‑1 parity

Structure Therapeutics’ March 16 press release said its oral small‑molecule GLP‑1 agonist aleniglipron produced placebo‑adjusted mean weight loss of 16.3% at the 180 mg dose and 16.0% at 240 mg in the Phase 2 ACCESS II study at 44 weeks, with continued loss to 16.2% at 56 weeks in the open‑label extension. (structuretx.com) (ir.structuretx.com) ACCESS II was a randomized, double‑blind, placebo‑controlled mid‑stage study (reported enrollment cohorts of 85 participants in the higher‑dose exploratory arm), and the company reported adverse‑event‑related discontinuations of 3.7% among participants who reached ≥120 mg and 2.0–3.4% with a lower 2.5 mg starting dose during titration. (clinicaltrials.gov; structuretx.com) (clinicaltrials.gov) Novo Nordisk’s oral semaglutide (Wegovy pill) achieved a mean 13.6% weight reduction at 64 weeks in the OASIS‑4 treatment‑policy analysis and a 16.6% mean loss in the full‑adherence estimand reported from the same trial. (nejm.org; appliedclinicaltrialsonline.com) (nejm.org) Structure’s readout prompted analysts and Citi to underline competitive pressure on Novo Nordisk while noting cross‑trial caveats; Citi kept a “neutral” rating on Novo after flagging Structure’s lack of an observed plateau and lower study discontinuation rates versus the Wegovy pill’s 6.9% discontinuation figure. (proactiveinvestors.com; drugs.com) (proactiveinvestors.com) Company‑reported categorical outcomes from ACCESS II showed 93% of participants on 180 mg achieved ≥10% weight loss, 61% reached ≥15%, and an exploratory analysis found about 32% reached ≥20% by week 44. (marketbeat.com) (marketbeat.com) Structure described aleniglipron as an orally available, once‑daily nonpeptide small‑molecule GLP‑1 receptor agonist that the company plans to advance to a Phase 3 program after an End‑of‑Phase‑2 meeting with the FDA scheduled in Q2 2026 and a Phase‑3 start targeted for the second half of 2026. (structuretx.com; xtalks.com) (ir.structuretx.com)