AstraZeneca Plc (NASDAQ:AZN) is advancing its oral GLP-1 receptor agonist, elecoglipron, into an extensive Phase 3 development program after the drug delivered significant weight-loss and diabetes-control results in two Phase 2b studies.
The findings, presented at the 2026 Scientific Sessions of the American Diabetes Association and published in The Lancet, support the company’s efforts to expand its cardiometabolic, renal, and weight-management portfolio.
Elecoglipron is an investigational oral, once-daily, small-molecule GLP-1 receptor agonist that mimics the natural GLP-1 hormone.
VISTA Trial Demonstrates Significant Weight Reduction
The VISTA study enrolled 310 adults with obesity or overweight and at least one related comorbidity. Participants receiving elecoglipron 75 mg achieved an average body-weight reduction of 10.5% at 26 weeks, compared with 0.6% for placebo.
Weight loss continued through week 36, reaching 11.8% in the treatment group versus 0.3% with placebo.
The trial also met its co-primary endpoint measuring the proportion of participants achieving at least 5% weight loss, with up to 88.8% of patients on elecoglipron reaching that benchmark.
Researchers also reported improvements in exploratory cardiometabolic measures, including reductions in blood pressure and C-reactive protein, a marker of systemic inflammation.
SOLSTICE Trial Shows HbA1c And Weight Benefits
In the SOLSTICE trial, which enrolled 404 adults with Type 2 diabetes, elecoglipron achieved an average HbA1c reduction of 1.9% at 26 weeks, compared with 0.2% for placebo.
Most patients receiving the treatment reached guideline-recommended glycemic targets. By week 26, 90% recorded HbA1c levels below 7%, while 85% achieved HbA1c levels of 6.5% or lower.
The treatment also produced an average body-weight reduction of 7.7%, compared with 1.7% for placebo.
Safety Profile And Next Steps
Across both studies, adverse events were largely gastrointestinal and generally mild to moderate in severity. The most frequently reported events included nausea, constipation, diarrhea, and vomiting.
Discontinuations due to adverse events were uncommon, and investigators reported no liver safety signals. Hypoglycemia was infrequent in the diabetes study, with no serious cases linked to treatment.
The Phase 3 development plan includes the EMBOLD trials in obesity and overweight populations, as well as the ELUMINATE studies evaluating elecoglipron alone and in combination with dapagliflozin for Type 2 diabetes.
Additional studies will assess long-term cardiovascular and kidney outcomes.
AstraZeneca Price Action
AZN Stock Price Activity: AstraZeneca shares were up 0.73% at $182.88 at the time of publication on Tuesday, according to Benzinga Pro data.
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