AstraZeneca is taking its oral GLP-1 drug into phase 3 on the back of a pair of midstage weight loss wins, despite remaining tight-lipped on how the candidate actually performed.
The U.K.-based Big Pharma evaluated the therapy, called elecoglipron, in the Vista and Solstice phase 2 studies. The Vista study, which wrapped up in November, assessed weight loss of elecoglipron versus placebo over 36 weeks among 310 patients with obesity or overweight.
Meanwhile, the Solstice trial, which finished in December, assessed blood sugar control of elecoglipron versus placebo or semaglutide—the ingredient in Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy—in 406 participants with Type 2 diabetes.
The company disclosed in its full-year 2025 earnings results (PDF) this morning that both trials hit their primary endpoints, and elecoglipron—which AstraZeneca licensed from Eccogene in 2023—will be progressing into phase 3 development this year.
However, the pharma is holding back on revealing the level of weight loss the drug induced in each study—a make-or-break factor in the highly competitive obesity space—until the American Diabetes Association conference in June.
When asked during this morning’s earnings press conference whether elecoglipron had held its own against the competition, AstraZeneca CEO Pascal Soriot wouldn’t get drawn into the specifics.
“The only thing I will say is that we have a very competitive profile,” Soriot told journalists.
“[As] you would imagine, we will not move into phase 3 and unlock all this investment for monotherapy, combination, cardiovascular outcome trials—which you can imagine, is not inexpensive—if we didn’t believe the product,” the CEO continued.
Novo Nordisk became the first company to launch an oral GLP-1 drug for weight loss in December via the oral version of Wegovy, while Eli Lilly is reportedly expecting a decision on its own GLP-1 pill orforglipron early in the second quarter. The current firestorm raging around Hims & Hers’ attempt to launch a knockoff version of Novo’s pill served as a timely reminder of the high stakes of the oral obesity race.
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Beyond elecoglipron, AstraZeneca’s broader weight loss portfolio also includes the long-acting amylin AZD6234, which is due to read out phase 2 data in the first half of 2026. Meanwhile, a phase 2 study of a combination of AZD6234 with the dual GLP-1 and glucagon agonist AZD9550 is due to read out in the second half of the year.
The company also continues to expand its portfolio, handing $1.2 billion in upfront cash to CSPC Pharmaceuticals in January for the ex-China rights to a once-monthly injectable weight management portfolio of eight programs. These are headed up by SYH2082, a long-acting GLP1R/GIPR agonist that is being readied for phase 1 trials.
“As the weight management market matures, we are working on new products that will easily improve compliance,” Soriot explained in his press conference presentation. “So, for instance, moving to monthly injection as opposed to weekly injection, but also products that will improve the quality of weight loss—more fat loss, less muscle loss.”
