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A new peer-reviewed publication in Cell Metabolism, Here released on October 7, provides a detailed scientific assessment of the previously announced Phase 2 results for UBT251, a triple agonist jointly developed by Novo Nordisk and United Biotechnology.

In a Phase 2 trial involving 205 participants, UBT251 achieved up to 19.7% average weight loss after 24 weeks, compared with 2.0% for placebo (17.7 percentage points placebo-adjusted). The 19.7% result came specifically from the 4 mg group starting at 1 mg.

In the 24-week Phase 2 trial, 143 of 155 UBT251-treated participants (92.3%) experienced at least one adverse event, compared with 88.0% in the placebo group. Most were gastrointestinal and mild to moderate. Grade 3 or higher adverse events occurred in 9.0% of UBT251 recipients versus 4.0% on placebo.

Treatment discontinuation due to adverse events was relatively uncommon. Novo Nordisk previously reported discontinuation rates of 0% in the 2 mg and 6 mg groups and 4% in the combined 4 mg group. However, these figures should not be confused with overall trial dropout rates.

Interestingly, Lilly's retatrutide achieved 17.5% weight loss at 24 weeks in its earlier Phase 2 trial. However, these are separate studies, so the results do not establish that UBT251 is more effective or better tolerated.

Novo holds development and commercialisation rights outside Greater China.

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These results are not new, as Novo first announced them in February 2026. However, this is the first time the full Phase 2 findings have been published in a peer-reviewed scientific journal, providing a more detailed assessment of efficacy, safety, and tolerability.

new UBT251 triple agonist beats $LLY Retatrutide at 24 weeks at 17.7% vs 17.5 less with even less side effects. The future of weight loss is going parabolic.

October 2, 2026

Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk are betting big on amylin therapies as the next frontier in obesity care because amylin acts on an entirely separate biological pathway from GLP-1, offering a distinct metabolic lever to suppress appetite and slow digestion. This dual-pathway approach allows drugmakers to build combination regimens, such as Lilly’s eloralintide with tirzepatide or Novo’s CagriSema, that can push weight loss further, break through GLP-1 plateaus, and directly reduce neurological food noise without relying solely on higher GLP-1 doses. Crucially, standalone amylin drugs also unlock a massive alternative treatment pool for patients who fail to respond to, tolerate, or achieve adequate weight loss on standard GLP-1 medications alone.

Oct 2

Anthropic announced today that it aims to train 10,000 Frontier Deployed Engineers (FDEs) by the end of 2027. Engineers from Accenture, Bain, Capgemini, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Deloitte, McKinsey, Morgan Stanley and Novo Nordisk are in the first cohorts.

The interesting part for Novo investors is the comment from Novo’s VP of Data & AI. He says Novo is already using Claude Science in R&D workflows, Anthropic’s models in software development, lab-in-the-loop research in drug discovery, and Anthropic engineers working alongside Novo scientists.

This comes shortly after the Novo–Anthropic collaboration announced on September 16.

It doesn’t tell us anything yet about financial returns or actual improvements in pipeline productivity.

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The summit took place from September 28 to October 2 in Nairobi and brought together 16+ national regulatory authorities/notified bodies, 100+ speakers and around 450 decision-makers from more than 25 countries.

It was held under the auspices of Kenya's Ministry of Health and the patronage of Kenya's Pharmacy and Poisons Board. WHO participated as the Continental Strategic Partner.

The people involved included senior Kenyan health officials, WHO Kenya, the U.S. FDA, the African Medicines Agency, KEMSA and regulators from countries including Morocco, Burkina Faso, Zambia, Ghana, Zimbabwe, Nigeria, Uganda and Côte d'Ivoire, alongside pharmaceutical and medical-device companies.

Regulators and industry meet to discuss regulatory harmonisation across Africa, medicine approvals, clinical research, local manufacturing, pharmacovigilance, WHO regulatory standards, supply chains and improving access to medicines.

Novo Nordisk participated as a Gold Sponsor, alongside companies including Abbott and Julphar, while AstraZeneca was a Platinum Sponsor and Haleon the Principal Sponsor.

Novo also had direct representation at the summit through Dr. Claire Kagambi, Regulatory Affairs and Pharmacovigilance Manager for Middle Africa.

Obviously, sponsorship doesn't mean WHO or African regulators are endorsing Novo Nordisk or any Novo drug, and there is no specific commercial agreement announced here.

Given Novo’s broader activities in Africa, this appears to be part of a longer-term strategy to strengthen its presence and relationships across the continent, rather than an isolated sponsorship.

Sickle cell disease is one example. Ghana, Nigeria and Kenya are all included in Novo’s global clinical development programme for etavopivat, while Novo-related foundations and access initiatives are also supporting efforts to strengthen sickle cell diagnosis and care in Africa. In Nigeria, the Novo Nordisk Haemophilia & Haemoglobinopathies Foundation and Novo Nordisk Foundation supported the 2026 Inherited Blood Disorders Leadership Forum in Abuja. In Kenya, Novo has discussed a proposed two-year, $1 million sickle cell demonstration project with the government focused on diagnosis, referrals, healthcare-worker capacity and data systems.

Novo is also expanding its commercial presence in the region. On September 12, 2026, Novo Nordisk officially launched Ozempic for type 2 diabetes and Wegovy for obesity in Kenya, together with healthcare-professional training and patient-support programmes.

This makes the AfriSummit participation particularly interesting - it comes at a time when Novo is simultaneously expanding access to its established medicines, developing its sickle cell programme and building relationships with healthcare and regulatory stakeholders across African markets.