Trevogrumab (anti-myostatin) can help preserve lean mass during and after semaglutide-induced weight loss
New research presented at the annual meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) in Milan, Italy, Sept. 28–Oct. 2, and in press at The Lancet shows that trevogrumab, which inhibits a protein that negatively regulates muscle mass, can reduce lean mass loss during semaglutide treatment by 50% compared with semaglutide and placebo.
A clinical trial investigating the effects of trevogrumab, an anti-myostatin antibody, on lean mass preservation during semaglutide-induced weight loss has shown promising results. Presented at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) meeting in Milan, Italy, and published in The Lancet, the study revealed that trevogrumab can reduce lean mass loss by 50% compared to semaglutide alone.
Semaglutide, a glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1 RA), is known to induce rapid weight loss but also leads to significant muscle loss. The research team, led by Dr. Ofri Mosenzon from Regeneron, Dr. Julio Rosenstock from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, and others, aimed to explore how trevogrumab and another protein inhibitor, ActA, affect this muscle loss.
The Phase II study involved two parts, with participants having a BMI of 30 kg/m2 or higher. In part A, semaglutide-treated individuals were randomized to receive either placebo, high doses of trevogrumab, or both trevogrumab and garetosmab, alongside semaglutide. In part B, participants were treated with semaglutide for 52 weeks and received either placebo or lower doses of trevogrumab.
The primary endpoints measured lean mass (LM), fat mass (FM), and body weight (BW) at week 26 and week 52. The results showed that semaglutide alone led to a significant decrease in lean mass by 6.6% at week 26. However, adding trevogrumab reduced this loss by 50%, to approximately 3.4% with the 200mg dose and 3.9% with the 400mg dose. Combining trevogrumab with garetosmab further reduced lean mass loss to about 2.1%.
In part B, the semaglutide group experienced a lean mass loss of 7.3% from baseline to week 52. However, the combination of semaglutide and trevogrumab at the 75mg dose showed a statistically significant preservation of lean mass, with a 3.1% increase compared to semaglutide alone.
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