This biweekly Obesity video recap covers a mix of late-stage regulatory momentum, clinical development progress, pipeline expansion, real-world evidence initiatives, and strategic investment activity shaping the obesity treatment landscape.
🎯 Watch Our Video Summary Capturing Obesity News from the Last Two Weeks
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- Week 6–12 January 2026
- Weeks 13–19 January 2026
📚 See the full Obesity archive on our research hub page.
Top Stories Covered in This Video
Chapters
0:00 Introduction
0:08 AbbVie eyes amylin to broaden obesity portfolio
0:33 Arrowhead RNAi programs cut visceral and liver fat, boost combo weight loss
1:03 Viking completes enrollment in VK2735 maintenance-dosing study
1:47 Thermo Fisher’s CorEvitas launches obesity RWE registry
2:15 Lilly CFO: orforglipron on track for potential Q2 FDA nod
2:38 Lilly inks $1.3bn obesity discovery deal with Nimbus
3:09 Alveus debuts with $160m to advance amylin-based pipeline
3:38 Structure: oral GLP-1 pills could reach 25–50% market share by 2030
4:04 How to reach us
Transcript
Welcome to this week’s edition of Obesity Updates, covering breakthroughs in the past two weeks. Brought to you by LucidQuest.
AbbVie outlined at the JPM Healthcare Conference a plan to broaden its obesity portfolio by pursuing amylin, including an asset from Gubra referred to as GUBamy. The goal is improved tolerability and sustained weight loss versus first generation GLP-1s, positioning aesthetics and obesity as complementary customer bases.
Arrowhead reported interim Phase 1 and 2a data for RNAi candidates ARO-INHBE and ARO-ALK7 in small ongoing cohorts with generally favorable safety. ARO-INHBE combined with tirzepatide roughly doubled weight loss at week 16 and tripled fat reductions at week 12 versus tirzepatide alone in obese adults with type 2 diabetes, noting the small n.
Viking completed enrollment in a Phase 1 randomized, double blind, placebo controlled maintenance study of VK2735 in about 180 adults with BMI at least 30. After 19 weeks of weekly subcutaneous dosing, participants transition to multiple subcutaneous and oral maintenance regimens of the same GLP-1 and GIP agonist molecule. The trial assesses safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics, and exploratory weight endpoints from baseline and week 19 to week 31, with potential implications for clinical and payer decisions once data mature.
Thermo Fisher’s CorEvitas launched a prospective obesity registry to capture clinician and patient reported outcomes on effectiveness, safety, adherence, and experience. The aim is regulatory grade, longitudinal real world evidence to inform treatment patterns across diverse settings. Results could guide practice and payer discussions, with interpretation dependent on design and confounding control.
Lilly’s CFO said that orforglipron, the company’s oral GLP-1, remains on track for a potential FDA decision in Q2 2026, comments made at JPM and without detailed review status. Potential approval timing could influence therapy selection and payer reviews.
Lilly also signed an obesity discovery collaboration with Nimbus, $55 million upfront and up to $1.3 billion in milestones, building on a 2022 partnership. Nimbus will apply computational chemistry to discover an oral obesity therapy, expanding Lilly’s oral options alongside orforglipron, with royalties if a drug is approved. This signals continued pipeline investment and modality expansion.
Alveus debuted with a $160 million Series A led by healthcare investors, with leadership that includes former Lilly and Novo executives. Lead program ALV-100 is a GIP receptor antagonist and GLP-1 receptor agonist fusion moving into Phase II. ALV-200 targets AMYR3, and additional amylin assets are in IND enabling work.
Finally, Structure’s CEO said that oral GLP-1 pills could reach 25–50 percent of the obesity market by 2030, driven by primary care demand and patient preference for oral agents, with plans to seek a strategic partner with strong PCP reach. Greater oral adoption could intensify competition, affecting pricing and formulary access.
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Why it matters
- Oral agents are accelerating, potentially shifting initiation from specialty to primary care.
- Amylin biology is re-emerging as a route to durability, tolerability, and muscle sparing.
- Combination and multi-pathway approaches, including RNAi, aim to overcome plateaus and lean-mass loss.
- Real-world evidence infrastructure is scaling to inform effectiveness, adherence, and safety.
- Capital and BD flows remain strong, reinforcing a crowded and rapidly innovating field
🗓️ Explore weekly details and sources
- Week 6–12 January 2026
- Weeks 13–19 January 2026
📚 See the full Obesity archive on our research hub page.
FAQ
What is AbbVie’s amylin strategy and asset?
AbbVie is building out obesity with a longer-acting amylin analog licensed from Gubra, focusing on tolerability and durable weight loss relative to first-gen GLP-1s [1].
What did Arrowhead report for ARO-INHBE and ARO-ALK7?
Interim Phase 1/2a data showed reductions in visceral, total, and liver fat. In obese patients with T2D, ARO-INHBE plus tirzepatide roughly doubled weight loss vs tirzepatide alone at week 16, with small cohorts and ongoing studies [2].
What is Viking testing in its maintenance study for VK2735?
A Phase 1 trial exploring multiple maintenance regimens after 19 weeks of weekly SC dosing, including weekly, Q2W, monthly SC, and daily or weekly oral dosing, assessing safety, PK, and exploratory weight endpoints through week 31 [3].
When could Lilly’s orforglipron be approved?
Per Lilly’s CFO, the oral GLP-1 remains on track for a potential FDA decision in Q2 2026, with specifics of the review not detailed in the source [5].
What does the Lilly–Nimbus deal cover?
Lilly pays $55m upfront, with up to $1.3bn in milestones and royalties, for Nimbus to discover an oral obesity therapy via computational chemistry, expanding Lilly’s pipeline beyond orforglipron [6].
Who is Alveus and what are its programs?
Alveus launched with $160m to advance an amylin-based portfolio. Lead ALV-100, a GIPR antagonist/GLP-1RA fusion, is funded for Phase II, with ALV-200 targeting AMYR3 in IND-enabling studies [7].
Entities / Keywords
AbbVie; Gubra; amylin; GLP-1; GIP; GLP-1/GIP agonist; ARO-INHBE; ARO-ALK7; tirzepatide; RNAi; Thermo Fisher; PPD CorEvitas Obesity Registry; Eli Lilly; orforglipron; Nimbus Therapeutics; Alveus; ALV-100; ALV-200; amylin receptor 3; Structure Therapeutics; oral GLP-1 market share.