This week’s Obesity update highlights accelerating innovation in obesity and metabolic disease, spanning early clinical data, real-world evidence initiatives, and major biopharma investments. Developments reflect growing focus on combination therapies, oral options, and differentiated mechanisms beyond GLP-1s.
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🧬 Arrowhead RNAi combo data shows deeper fat loss vs tirzepatide alone [1] [06 Jan 2026]
Context: ARO-INHBE showed dose-dependent Activin E reduction, with single-dose liver fat relative reduction of 38% and increased lean tissue. ARO-ALK7 achieved adipose ALK7 mRNA knockdown and rapid visceral fat reduction. Safety mostly mild TEAEs.
Key point: Interim Phase 1/2a results for ARO-INHBE and ARO-ALK7 indicate reductions in visceral, total, and liver fat. ARO-INHBE plus tirzepatide roughly doubled weight loss at week 16 and tripled fat reductions at week 12 vs tirzepatide alone in obese patients with T2D (small n).
Implication: May influence prescriber choice and payer reviews pending full data.
💉 Viking completes enrollment in VK2735 maintenance-dosing study [2] [08 Jan 2026]
Context: Post-week-19 regimens include SC weekly/biweekly/monthly and oral daily/weekly dosing, with safety, tolerability, PK as objectives and exploratory weight-change endpoints to week 31.
Key point: Phase 1 randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study enrolled about 180 adults to assess maintenance regimens after 19 weeks of weekly SC VK2735 or placebo.
Implication: May influence prescriber choice and payer reviews pending full data.
📊 Thermo Fisher’s CorEvitas Obesity Registry enrolls first patient [3] [06 Jan 2026]
Context: Part of PPD CorEvitas Clinical Registries, the 15th independent registry, with prior acceptance by regulators for long-term post-authorization safety in other indications.
Key point: Prospective observational registry will collect clinician and patient-reported data on effectiveness, safety, adherence, satisfaction, and outcomes across obesity therapies.
Implication: Could inform practice and payer discussions, interpretation depends on study design and confounding control.
🤝 Lilly deepens Nimbus tie-up for oral obesity drug discovery [4] [07 Jan 2026]
Context: Builds on a 2022 collaboration in cardiometabolic targets. Comes amid GLP-1 competition and Lilly’s pursuit of oral options alongside incretin franchise.
Key point: Lilly to pay $55m upfront and up to $1.3bn in milestones, plus royalties, for Nimbus to discover a small-molecule obesity therapy using computational chemistry and structure-based design.
Implication: Signals pipeline investment and modality expansion.
🚀 Alveus launches with $160m to push amylin-based obesity drugs [5] [09 Jan 2026]
https://www.pharmaceutical-technology.com/news/alveus-debuts-in-obesity-arena-with-160m-series-a/
Context: Backers include New Rhein, Andera, Omega, Sanofi Capital, and others, with leadership from former Lilly and Novo obesity R&D heads.
Key point: Series A to fund Phase II for ALV-100, a bifunctional GIPR antagonist/GLP-1RA fusion, and advance ALV-200, an AMYR3 peptide agonist, plus additional amylin-based assets.
Implication: Signals pipeline investment and modality expansion.
Why it matters
- RNAi approaches targeting Activin E/ALK7 could complement incretins with lean-mass preservation and visceral fat targeting [1].
- Maintenance regimens across SC and oral formats address adherence and long-term plateau concerns in obesity care [2].
- Real-world registries can contextualize efficacy, safety, and persistence beyond trials, informing access decisions [3].
- Big-pharma BD around oral small molecules reflects diversification beyond peptides and injectables [4].
- New entrants with amylin biology may compete on durability, tolerability, and body-composition outcomes [5].
FAQ
What did Arrowhead report for ARO-INHBE plus tirzepatide in T2D?
A small cohort showed about two-fold greater weight loss at week 16 and around three-fold reductions in visceral, total, and liver fat at week 12 vs tirzepatide alone. Full endpoints and larger n are pending further readouts [1].
Is VK2735 being tested as both injection and pill?
Yes. The maintenance study transitions participants to SC weekly/biweekly/monthly and oral daily/weekly regimens after initial weekly SC dosing, with safety, tolerability, and PK as objectives, and exploratory weight change to week 31 [2].
What data will the CorEvitas Obesity Registry capture?
Prospective clinician and patient-reported measures on effectiveness, safety, adherence, satisfaction, and clinical outcomes across diverse care settings, as part of Thermo Fisher’s regulatory-grade registry platform [3].
What are the financials of the Lilly–Nimbus deal?
Lilly pays $55m upfront with up to $1.3bn in development and commercial milestones, plus royalties, to discover an oral obesity therapy via Nimbus’ computational platform [4].
What is Alveus’ lead program and funding use?
ALV-100, a bifunctional GIPR antagonist/GLP-1RA fusion protein, is funded to Phase II. The $160m Series A also advances ALV-200 and INDs for additional amylin-based candidates [5].
Entities / Keywords
Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals; ARO-INHBE; ARO-ALK7; Activin E; ALK7; tirzepatide; GLP-1/GIP; RNAi.
Viking Therapeutics; VK2735; maintenance dosing; SC and oral regimens.
Thermo Fisher Scientific; PPD CorEvitas; real-world evidence; registry.
Eli Lilly; Nimbus Therapeutics; oral obesity small molecule; milestones.
Alveus Therapeutics; ALV-100; ALV-200; amylin; AMYR3; Series A.
References
- https://arrowheadpharma.com/news-press/arrowhead-pharmaceuticals-announces-interim-clinical-data-on-rnai-based-obesity-candidates-showing-weight-loss-in-obese-patients-with-diabetes-and-improved-measures-of-body-composition/
- https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/viking-therapeutics-announces-completion-of-enrollment-in-maintenance-dosing-clinical-trial-of-vk2735-in-obesity-302655902.html
- https://newsroom.thermofisher.com/newsroom/press-releases/press-release-details/2026/Thermo-Fisher-Scientific-Launches-CorEvitas-Obesity-Registry-to-Advance-Real-World-Evidence-in-Treatment-Outcomes/default.aspx
- https://www.pharmaceutical-technology.com/news/eli-lilly-signs-1-3bn-obesity-focused-research-deal-with-nimbus/
- https://www.pharmaceutical-technology.com/news/alveus-debuts-in-obesity-arena-with-160m-series-a/