Lilly and Laekna to develop muscle-preserving obesity drug

On Nov. 20, Eli Lilly and Hong Kong-listed biotech Laekna said they will collaborate to develop LAE102, an experimental obesity drug designed to help patients lose weight while preserving muscle ^[1]. Under the arrangement, Lilly will fund development and share its resources and expertise, while Laekna retains global rights to the drug and plans to advance an early-stage trial in China ^[1].

Reuters described the drug as belonging to a class of medicines that play a key role in muscle regeneration as well as in the breakdown and storage of fat for energy ^[1]. Laekna said LAE102 increased lean mass and decreased fat mass in lab studies, and that combined with a GLP-1 treatment it could further reduce fat mass and help patients significantly regain lean mass lost during weight loss ^[1]. The report did not identify which GLP-1 treatment would be paired with LAE102, and no results from human trials were described ^[1].

This is Lilly's second effort aimed at the lean-mass problem. Last year, the company spent about $2 billion to acquire Versanis' drug, which acts directly on fat cells without prompting lean mass loss ^[1]. Reuters reported that the Laekna collaboration is meant to strengthen Lilly's position in the obesity treatment market, which is expected to reach $150 billion in revenue by the next decade ^[1].

Other drugmakers are pursuing similar ideas. Regeneron and Scholar Rock are among the companies testing treatments that could help preserve muscle, which is often lost when patients lose weight through lifestyle changes, bariatric surgery or the use of GLP-1 treatments such as Lilly's Zepbound and Novo Nordisk's Wegovy ^[1].

Why it matters for patients

For people taking or considering GLP-1 medications such as Zepbound or Wegovy, the appeal of a muscle-preserving drug is that it might offset the lean mass lost along with fat during weight loss ^[1]. Muscle is often lost when patients lose weight through lifestyle changes, bariatric surgery or GLP-1 treatment, according to Reuters ^[1].

The evidence behind LAE102 is still early. Laekna's claims about increasing lean mass come from lab studies, not from trials in people ^[1]. Reuters did not report how much muscle is typically lost on GLP-1 drugs, whether preserving muscle changes how patients feel or function, or how a muscle-preserving drug would be used alongside an existing GLP-1 medicine ^[1].

LAE102 is experimental and is not an approved treatment ^[1]. The first clinical work planned under the collaboration is an early-stage trial in China, so any availability in the United States would depend on later trials and regulatory review that have not been announced ^[1].

What happens next

Laekna plans to advance the early-stage trial of LAE102 in China, with Lilly funding the development work ^[1]. Neither company disclosed the financial terms of the collaboration, including any upfront payment or milestone amounts ^[1]. Reuters did not report when the trial will begin, how many participants it will enroll, what it will measure or whether a study in the United States is planned ^[1].