Amgen's MariTide Phase 3 readouts move to early 2027
MariTide, a monthly GLP-1/GIP injection in Phase 3 testing, won't have results before 2027, so patients choosing a weight-loss medicine now are still limited to drugs already on the market.
Amgen's MariTide will not report a Phase 3 result in 2026, pushing the next major readout in the obesity drug pipeline into 2027. Guidance for the primary result of the MARITIME-1 trial now points to early 2027, and MARITIME-1 and MARITIME-2 both list primary completion dates of January 21, 2027 [1].
The change in timing follows a Phase 2 study that looked strong on one measure and more mixed on another. At 52 weeks, MariTide produced average weight loss of up to about 20% on the efficacy estimand, which reflects participants who stayed on treatment. On the treatment-policy estimand, which counts everyone enrolled whether or not they stopped the drug, weight loss was 12.3% to 16.2% [1]. The gap between those two figures reflects how many people stopped treatment, and gastrointestinal tolerability remains an open question for the drug [1]. Amgen slowed dose escalation in Phase 3 after the discontinuation and vomiting rates seen in Phase 2 [1].
Amgen is testing the drug well beyond obesity. The Phase 3 program covers obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, heart failure and obstructive sleep apnea, and the MARITIME obesity studies run 72 weeks [1]. A Phase 3 study is also enrolling people who are switching from weekly tirzepatide (Mounjaro, Zepbound) or semaglutide (Ozempic, Wegovy, Rybelsus) to MariTide [1]. MariTide is given monthly, which is presented as a convenience edge over the weekly injections now on the market [1].
For comparison, the obesity medicines approved in the United States today include semaglutide, associated with about 15% weight loss over 68 weeks, and tirzepatide, at about 21% over 72 weeks. Eli Lilly's oral orforglipron (Foundayo) was approved by the FDA in April 2026 [1]. MariTide has not been tested head-to-head against any of them [1]. Results from the switch study have not been reported.
Amgen's obesity bet is now concentrated on MariTide. The company discontinued an undisclosed Phase 1 obesity candidate on August 4, 2026 [1]. Amgen reported second-quarter 2026 revenue of $10.1 billion, up 10% from a year earlier, and $3.5 billion of free cash flow [2].
Why it matters for patients
Patients weighing a GLP-1 today still choose from medicines already approved: semaglutide, tirzepatide, oral semaglutide and oral orforglipron [1]. A monthly injection such as MariTide is not available and will not be for some time.
The tolerability picture matters for anyone who has struggled with nausea or vomiting on existing drugs. The Phase 2 treatment-policy numbers, which fell well below the efficacy-estimand result, show that a meaningful share of participants did not stay on treatment [1]. Whether the slower dose escalation in Phase 3 reduces vomiting and discontinuations has not been reported, and Phase 3 side-effect rates are not yet known.
For people currently on weekly semaglutide or tirzepatide, the switch study is testing a move to MariTide, but those results are not expected in 2026 and a date has not been disclosed [1]. Pricing, insurance coverage and any filing for FDA approval have also not been announced [1].
What happens next
The MARITIME-1 obesity readout is guided to early 2027, with primary completion dates of January 21, 2027 for MARITIME-1 and MARITIME-2 [1]. Timelines for the obstructive sleep apnea, cardiovascular and heart failure studies have not been disclosed.
The rest of the 2026 calendar is crowded without MariTide. Novo Nordisk's CagriSema faces a second-half 2026 FDA decision, and Eli Lilly's retatrutide has remaining Phase 3 readouts with a filing guided to the first quarter of 2027 [1].
Sources
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