Ascletis' ASC47 shows enhanced weight loss, improved tolerability

Ascletis Pharma Inc. announced positive topline results from its ASC47-103 study, demonstrating that ASC47 combined with semaglutide led to a 56.2% greater relative reduction in body weight compared to semaglutide monotherapy on day 29 for participants with obesity. The U.S. study, involving 28 participants, also showed significantly improved gastrointestinal (GI) tolerability, with a 6.7% incidence of vomiting in the ASC47 combination group versus 57.1% in the semaglutide monotherapy group.

The ultra-long-acting subcutaneous formulation of ASC47, with an observed half-life of up to 30 days, significantly reduced body weight rebound after treatment discontinuation. On day 57, the 30 mg ASC47 group showed a 157.1% greater relative reduction in body weight compared to the semaglutide monotherapy group. These data support the potential use of once-monthly ASC47 as a maintenance therapy and suggest that dose adjustments are not necessary when co-administered with semaglutide.

Additionally, the 30 mg and 60 mg ASC47 groups showed significant reductions in low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) compared to the semaglutide monotherapy group. The company plans to use these findings to inform Phase IIb combination study designs for multiple metabolic diseases, including obesity and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH).