N Engl J Med

Investigational drug mazdutide shows promise in new obesity study

May 30, 2025

Mazdutide, a dual agonist of GLP-1 and glucagon receptors, dosed at 4 or 6 mg weekly led to clinically meaningful weight loss at 32 weeks in a placebo-controlled RCT in obese Chinese adults.

• This phase 3, double-blind, placebo-controlled study set in China randomized 610 adults aged 18 to 75 years with BMI 28+ (or BMI 24-28 plus one or more weight-related comorbidity) for 48 weeks. Baseline mean weight: 87.2 kg; mean BMI: 31.
• At week 32, mean body weight was down 10.09% from baseline in the 4-mg group, down 12.55% in the 6-mg group—vs. up 0.45% in the placebo group. Weight reduction of at least 5% was attained in 73.9% of the 4-mg group, 82.0% of the 6-mg group, and 10.5% of the placebo group.
• At week 48, mean body weight was down 11.00% in the 4-mg group, down 14.01% in the 6-mg group—vs. up 0.30% in the placebo group. Weight reduction of at least 15% was attained in 35.7% of the 4-mg group, 49.5% of the 6-mg group, and 2.0% of the placebo group,
• Prespecified cardiometabolic measures all showed improvements with the drug.
• The adverse effects most frequently reported were gastrointestinal, which were mostly mild to moderately severe. Incidence of adverse event leading to trial discontinuation was 1.5% with 4 mg, 0.5% with 6 mg, and 1.0% with placebo.

Source:

Ji L, et al. (2025, May 25). N Engl J Med. Once-Weekly Mazdutide in Chinese Adults with Obesity or Overweight. https:/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40421736/