Novo Nordisk and United Laboratories Report Weight Loss Results for Obesity Drug UBT251
Novo Nordisk and China's United Biotechnology reported that experimental obesity drug UBT251 led to mean weight loss of up to 19.7% in a midstage clinical trial in China, expanding Novo's obesity pipeline.
Novo Nordisk and China's United Biotechnology said an experimental obesity drug they are jointly developing helped patients lose weight in a midstage clinical trial in China. The companies said drug UBT251 led to a mean weight loss of up to 19.7%.
The trial results came a day after Novo Nordisk suffered a pipeline setback, with a separate late-stage comparison study showing its CagriSema obesity drug candidate failed to outperform Eli Lilly's Zepbound, illustrating how drugmakers are crowding into the weight-loss market with next-generation medicines.
The treatment being tested is UBT251, a drug given as an injection under the skin in the abdominal area. Participants receive different dose levels of UBT251 or a placebo injection, which contains no active drug, to see how well the medicine works and how well it is tolerated.
This is a Phase 2 interventional trial where participants are randomly assigned to different groups. It uses a parallel design, meaning groups are treated at the same time, and it is double-blinded so neither patients nor doctors know who gets UBT251 or placebo, with the main goal being treatment of overweight and obesity.
The trial is listed as recruiting, with first submission on 2026-02-01, marking the formal start of public disclosure and site activation. The latest update was filed on 2026-02-16, signaling that the protocol and status are current, while primary and final completion dates are not yet posted, as results are still years away.