amgen CEO Bob Bradway told CNBC’s Jim Cramer that he believes the company’s obesity drugs can help patients manage weight loss long-term, but he suggested that’s a challenge.
“We think we can address the patient persistence issue, which is one of the reasons this field is struggling a little bit,” Bradway said.
Amgen said Monday that a trial of its experimental GLP-1 drug Maritide showed that monthly injections could help patients maintain weight loss for two years. Currently, the most widely used weight loss injections are given weekly.
Mr. Bradway told Mr. Kramer that the drug giant expects the drug to be available for monthly or less frequent use, and said he was encouraged by data suggesting it could be taken quarterly. Bradway also said Amgen is studying the effectiveness of different doses, adding: “We want to understand what patients need to stay on this treatment, because persistence is the name of the game.”
Bradway also touched on Amgen’s acquisition of Horizon Therapeutics, saying the deal is working in part because it leverages the company’s strengths in biologics and autoimmunity.
“The drugs we have are dealing with autoimmune diseases, and most of them are biologics and are in the early stages of their life cycle,” Bradway said. “So we continue to explore avenues and new diseases that might benefit from these treatments, and so far we’re making good progress.”
