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Apitegromab therapy with Tirzepatide preserved an additional 4.2 pounds of lean mass compared to Tirzepatide alone in the study, the company said.
Shares of Scholar Rock (SRRK) soared 16% on Wednesday after the company announced that its investigational drug Apitegromab, in combination with Tirzepatide, helped preserve lean mass during Tirzepatide-induced weight loss in a mid-stage study.
The trial demonstrated that 30% of the total weight loss with Tirzepatide alone was due to lean mass loss. Tirzepatide is the active ingredient in Eli Lilly's weight loss therapy Zepbound.
Apitegromab therapy with Tirzepatide preserved an additional 4.2 pounds of lean mass compared to Tirzepatide alone in the study, the company said.
Reduction in body weight, however, was marginally higher in patients who received Tirzepatide alone.
No subjects experienced serious adverse events or discontinuations considered to be related to apitegromab treatment, and there were no deaths, the company added.
Akshay Vaishnaw, President of R&D, Scholar Rock, said that while therapies like Tirzepatide have been an effective innovation for people with obesity, they result in substantial loss of lean muscle mass for patients, leading to unwanted health risks.
Vaishnaw added that the company is focused on preparing for the launch of Apitegromab and, following its potential approval for spinal muscular atrophy, looks forward to studying it in a range of neuromuscular diseases with high unmet needs.
Approval for Apitegromab in spinal muscular atrophy is expected by late September.
Scholar Rock is not alone in attempting to preserve lean mass during drug-induced weight loss. Earlier this month, Regeneron (REGN) said that a mid-stage trial demonstrated that approximately 35% of Semaglutide-induced weight loss was due to loss of lean mass. However, combining Semaglutide, the active ingredient in Novo Nordisk’s weight loss drug Wegovy, with Regeneron’s Trevogrumab with or without Garetosmab helped preserve lean mass while increasing loss of fat mass, the company said.
On Stocktwits, retail sentiment around Scholar Rock jumped from ‘bearish’ to ‘extremely bullish’ over the past 24 hours while message volume rose from ‘high’ to ‘extremely high’ levels.
A Stocktwits user, however, noted that the lack of increased weight loss with the combination compared to Tirzepatide alone is bearish.
SRRK stock is down by 18% this year but up by over 320% over the past 12 months.
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