Weight loss drug breakthroughs, gene therapies, and more: 8 clinical trials to watch right now

AbbVie (ABBV) bought Cerevel Therapeutics earlier this year for $9 billion. The deal included Cerevel’s “potential best-in-class, next-generation antipsychotic,” emraclidine. The experimental drug is now undergoing two six-week-long phase 2 trials to see how effective it is at alleviating symptoms of schizophrenia. Results are expected to be posted by the end of the year. AbbVie is competing with Bristol Myers Squibb (BMY), which is awaiting a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) review of its new schizophrenia treatment, KarXT, this fall.

Biogen (BIIB), traditionally focused on neurology, is intensifying its shift towards immunology. Soon, we’ll know how successful its efforts have been when they post results from a phase 3 trial of dapirolizumab pegol, a potential new treatment for the autoimmune disorder lupus.

Moderna is still seeking its next major product as COVID-19 vaccine sales continue to dwindle. One promising opportunity is a vaccine for cytomegalovirus (CMV), a common congenital infection — present at birth — with no existing vaccines. CMV can cause serious health problems in newborns and those with weakened immune systems. Moderna is expected to announce initial results of its late-stage trial of its CMV vaccine by the end of the year.

Neuroscience startup Neumora Therapeutics is developing navacaprant, a novel depression treatment that works by inhibiting kappa opioid receptors, which play a key role in regulating mood, pain, and stress. The company is expected to announce results from the first of three phase 3 trials testing navacaprant for depression in the fourth quarter of this year.

Novo Nordisk, known for its blockbuster diabetes and weight loss drugs Ozempic and Wegovy, is developing a more potent obesity treatment called CagriSema. This new drug combines semaglutide, the active ingredient in Ozempic, with amylin and calcitonin receptor agonists. Amylin helps regulate blood sugar levels, similar to GLP-1, while calcitonin controls calcium levels in the blood. Results for two late-stage trials of the drug are expected this year.

Viking Therapeutics is set to present results of a phase1 trial testing higher doses of the oral version of its VK2735 weight loss drug at The Obesity Society’s Obesity Week in early November. Analysts at JP Morgan expect the company’s stock to jump following the presentation. A previous small clinical study found that patients taking a daily 40mg dose of Viking’s weight loss pill lost an average of up to 5.3% of their body weight in just 28 days.

Amgen is presenting results of a phase 2 trial of its experimental weight loss drug in late 2024. “The interim phase 2 analysis for this study is complete, and we are very encouraged with results that we’ve seen thus far and with the conduct of the trial,” Amgen CEO Robert Bradway told investors in May. Additionally, the company is already planning a larger phase 3 trial of the drug. An early-stage trial of MariTide found that users on the drug lost average of 14.5% of their weight in about 12 weeks.

CRISPR Therapeutics is using CRISPR gene-editing technology to develop genetically engineered cells, CTX112, that target CD19 — a protein that is used to diagnose cancerous white blood cells. Preliminary results from these trails are expected this year.