EXCLUSIVE: Vivani Medical Says Weight Loss/Diabetes Implant At Par With Novo Nordisk's Famed Injectable Wegovy/Ozempic, Animal Studies Shows

Wednesday, Vivani Medical Inc (NASDAQ:VANI) released preclinical data on weight loss effects for NPM-115, the company’s miniature, twice-yearly exenatide subdermal implant under development for chronic weight management.

In a study in high-fat diet-induced obese mice, NPM-115 generated weight loss of approximately 20% compared to a sham implant control after a 28-day treatment duration.

The company says the weight loss is comparable to that observed in mice treated with Novo Nordisk A/S’s (NYSE:NVO) popular Ozempic/Wegovy injections (semaglutide) in the same study.

The supratherapeutic doses provided for both NPM-115 (single administration delivering exenatide at ~530 nmol/kg/day) and semaglutide (weekly injections of ~2,700 nmol/kg/week) were selected to maximize the weight-loss potential of both exenatide and semaglutide.

In a second study in healthy rats, a single administration of exenatide implant NPM-119, in development for type 2 diabetes, resulted in body weights that were approximately 25% lower than a vehicle implant control after 15 weeks of treatment with an expected duration of effect of six months.

NPM-119 delivered exenatide at a rate of approximately 320 nmol/kg/day and has demonstrated smooth, non-fluctuating release of exenatide in both in vitro and in vivo studies.

NPM-119 previously demonstrated pharmacokinetic data exhibiting continuous and therapeutic exenatide exposure levels over six months in healthy rats.

Since NPM-115 is a higher-dose version of an otherwise similar product as NPM-119, the durability of the effect on weight demonstrated in this study is expected to translate to future studies utilizing NPM-115.

The company also disclosed that semaglutide is the active pharmaceutical ingredient in NPM-139, a miniature, subdermal GLP-1 implant in development for chronic weight management, with the added potential benefit of once-yearly administration.

These developments are part of a strategic shift to prioritize the company’s obesity implants.

The weight loss potential of exenatide in humans has not been fully evaluated in the currently marketed exenatide products, AstraZeneca Plc’s (NASDAQ:AZN) Byetta (twice-daily injection) and Bydureon (weekly injection) for type 2 diabetes, potentially due to limitations associated with adherence and dosing.

Read Next: Weight Loss Drug Market Gets Crowded As Viking Therapeutics Drops Encouraging Phase 2 Data From Obesity Study.

Price Action: VANI shares are trading higher by 1.98% at $1.03 premarket on the last check Wednesday.

Photo by Vidmir Rais via Pixabay

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This article EXCLUSIVE: Vivani Medical Says Weight Loss/Diabetes Implant At Par With Novo Nordisk's Famed Injectable Wegovy/Ozempic, Animal Studies Shows originally appeared on Benzinga.com

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