The BioPharm Brief: Pills, Skin, and Biosimilars

Welcome to The BioPharm Brief, your daily snapshot of the latest developments shaping the biopharmaceutical industry.

Here’s what we have today.

First, real-world data are adding to the case for oral Wegovy. New OCTANE data show patients who switched from injectable GLP-1 therapies to the once-daily Wegovy pill lost an average of 4.1% of their body weight over 12 weeks. The findings offer an early look at how the oral formulation is performing outside a controlled clinical trial setting.

In dermatology, Lilly’s lebrikizumab showed positive results in hand and foot atopic dermatitis. In the phase 3b ADtouch study, 53% of patients receiving lebrikizumab achieved clear or almost clear hands and feet at Week 16, compared with 27% on placebo. Itch and pain also improved, and Lilly has submitted the data to FDA as it seeks a label update.

And Teva has another denosumab biosimilar on the US market. FDA approved Degevma, a biosimilar to Amgen’s Xgeva, across all three of Xgeva’s cancer-related indications. It’s Teva’s second FDA-approved denosumab biosimilar this year, expanding its portfolio across oncology and bone-loss treatments.

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Key takeaways

• Oral Wegovy is showing promise beyond the clinical trial setting, with patients switching from injectable GLP-1 therapies losing 4.1% of their body weight in 12 weeks.
• Lilly’s lebrikizumab is showing activity in a difficult-to-treat form of atopic dermatitis, improving symptoms affecting the hands and feet.
• Teva is expanding its biosimilar presence in oncology, with FDA approval of Degevma, a biosimilar to Xgeva.