Injections to Become Obsolete
At this year’s BIO Convention 2024 in San Diego (June 3-6, 2024), the US pharmaceutical company Laxxon Medical, under the leadership of CEO Helmut Kerschbaumer, will present its oral GLP-1 alternative for weight loss to the professional public for the first time. The abbreviation GLP-1 stands for ‘Glucagon-like Peptide-1 Agonist (GLP-1)’ and refers to the central active ingredient contained in weight reduction medications. The products of market leaders Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly, originally developed for the treatment of type 2 diabetes, have enabled a new era in the fight against obesity.
The GLP-1 agonists approved for weight loss are currently only available in injectable formulations. Patients must inject these either daily or weekly. These products must also be stored under specific conditions and have a limited shelf life.
The Laxxon weight loss tablet, under the product identifier ‘LXM.2’, is intended to provide patients with a non-invasive once-a-day treatment and make injections obsolete in the future. With its additive 3D screen printing platform technology, SPID®, Laxxon has succeeded in processing a so-called permeation enhancer as a carrier substance in tablet form. These substances, which improve or even make possible the bioavailability of certain molecules, are difficult to produce as an oral solid with enteric coating using conventional methods such as direct compression or granulation. The advanced additive manufacturing technology (SPID®) enables a new generation of intelligent drug delivery systems (‘DDS’) through, for example, the heterogeneous distribution of active pharmaceutical ingredients and excipients.
Research studies suggest that oral GLP-1 is as effective as the injectable version. A study from 2021 examined several clinical trials on GLP-1 and concluded that once-daily oral semaglutide (a GLP-1 agonist) is as effective or more effective for weight loss than injectable versions of semaglutide. Other recent studies indicate that oral tablets have ‘similar or better efficacy and similar tolerability’ compared to most injectable GLP-1 preparations.
GLP-1 Market Growing Dynamically
Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy® was the first GLP-1 preparation approved by the FDA for weight loss. Since its approval in 2021, Novo Nordisk’s revenue has increased by 36% to nearly $22 billion. Eli Lilly’s stock price rose 60% in 2023 before the approval of its injectable weight loss drug Zepbound®. The growing market optimism is the result of a significant increase in prescriptions for weight loss medications, which increased by 300% in the US between 2020 and 2022. Alarming forecasts predict that nearly half of all Americans will be obese by 2030, underscoring the need for additional preventive measures.
According to Goldman Sachs, the global market for obesity drugs could reach a volume of $100 billion by 2030. With further innovations, new market entrants, and patent expirations, prices for weight reduction medications are likely to decrease and potentially open up new markets.
With SPID® technology, Laxxon can develop and manufacture advanced versions of new and existing pharmaceutical drugs while extending and supplementing patent protection through the technology transfer process. Laxxon’s pipeline includes ongoing work projects with renowned pharmaceutical companies, biotech firms, and research universities.
Laxxon’s intellectual property with its license partner Exentis is continuously growing and currently includes more than 180 patents and patent applications with over 4,000 patent claims worldwide. Laxxon’s robust and growing IP portfolio protects all of the company’s assets until at least 2037.
