United Laboratories International Holdings Ltd (HKG: 3933), a Hong Kong-based pharmaceutical company, has announced that it has received approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to conduct a clinical study for its Category 1 drug candidate, UBT251, for the treatment of overweight and obesity.
UBT251: A Triple Agonist for Weight Management
UBT251 is a long-acting glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), glucose-dependent insulin stimulating peptide (GIP), and glucagon (GCG) triple agonist synthesized through chemical peptide synthesis. This drug candidate is designed to target multiple pathways involved in glucose regulation and weight management, offering a potential new treatment option for patients struggling with overweight and obesity.
Regulatory Milestones and Competitive Landscape
United Laboratories, which became China’s first and the world’s second company to have a triple agonist of this kind cleared for trials, received Investigational New Drug (IND) approval for UBT251 for the treatment of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in China earlier this month. This latest FDA approval for a clinical study in obesity further expands the drug’s potential indications and underscores the company’s commitment to advancing novel therapies in metabolic diseases.
Competing in the Triple Agonist Market
In the competitive landscape of triple agonists, Retatrutide, developed by Eli Lilly (NYSE: LLY), is the world-leading GLP-1/GCG/GIP triple agonist that has entered Phase III clinical trials. Minwei Bio’s MWN101 is another drug in this class that has initiated Phase I clinical trials. The progress of these drugs highlights the active development in the field of metabolic disease treatments and the potential for new therapies to impact patient care.
