Novo Nordisk licenses GLP1 drug from United BioTechnology, a Chinese research firm
Novo Nordisk licenses the right to sell a new GLP1 being developed in China -- 15% weight loss in 12 weeks (in an admittedly small study).
New formulation of GLP1 Receptor Agonists continue to proliferate – Novo Nordisk has announced a deal to acquire United Laboratories International, a chinese firm that specializes in GLP1 related weight loss research.
Check out our quick explainer
UBT is working on a GLP1 agonist called UBT251 (nicknamed "Triple G"), which has shown promising results in early research.
What are the details of the deal?
Novo Nordisk entered into a licensing deal for UBT251, which means they did not purchase the IP all together but rather have exclusive access to sell the drug – in certain countries/localities.
Novo Nordisk reportedly paid $200MM USD up front, with a total of $1.8B depending on targets being hit.
In particular, Novo Nordisk is the sole distributor for UBT251 except for in the following places:
- Chinese mainland
- Hong Kong
- Macau
- Taiwan
Why is UBT251 ("Triple G") special?
It's hard to find too much information about UBT251 because it is still early and is not in any trials that have been widely popularized, but UBT251 is a triple agonist, simliar to Retatrutide, which we've covered before:
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Up until now, Novo Nordisk was mostly concerned with it's dual agonist drug CagriSema, which is a combination of a GLP1 receptor agonist (semaglutide) and Cagrilintide (which actually agonizes two other receptors):
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While CagriSema might "add up" to 3 agonists, the approach that UBT251 takes is much closer to Retatrutide:
It [Retatrutide] is a triple hormone receptor agonist of GLP-1, GIP, and GCGR receptors.
UBT251 agonizes three agonists – GLP1, GIP, and Glucagon.
How much weight have people lost on "Triple G"?
Early research is showing results that are impressive, but hard to compare to larger, more established and publically-available studies on efficacy for other GLP1s.
Phase 1b trial
United Biotechnology recently completed a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase 1b trial in China designed to evaluate the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacodynamics of multiple subcutaneous injections of UBT251 in people with overweight or obesity.
A total of 36 patients were enrolled in three different dose groups (1mg, 1mg/3mg, 1mg/3mg/6mg). Each group adopted a dose titration method, with subcutaneous injection once a week for 12 consecutive weeks.
A 36 patient trial for only 12 weeks isn't much more than a good start, for scientific research related to GLP1s at this point.
That said, the safety profile seems to be similar to other tratements, which is encouraging, and the 12 week trial delivered body weight percentage loss of 15%.
UBT251 has been reported to be used for various treatments inside China, receiving a Class 1 innovative drug categorization:
To date, UBT251 has been approved for clinical trials in China in adult type 2 diabetes, overweight or obesity, metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD), and chronic kidney disease (CKD), and for clinical trials in the United States in adult type 2 diabetes, overweight or obesity, and CKD.
At this point, the focus of Novo Nordisk (and others) is mostly on the weight loss possibilities of new GLP1s, and getting ahead of looming patent expiration schedules with new, more impressive products.
