Once- or Twice-Yearly Injection for Weight Loss?

 

If your doctor is a failure at 100% recovery, you will likely need this.

My doctor obviously knew nothing about weight gain post stroke. He didn't reference body metabolism slowing down after age 50 and my limited exercise ability which I used to do to excess allowing me to eat as I wanted. That incompetence led me to a 30 lb. weight gain which I'm still working to conquer. 

Once- or Twice-Yearly Injection for Weight Loss?

A single 240 mg dose of WVE-007 (Wave Life Sciences, Cambridge, Massachusetts) led to improvements in body composition, including reductions in visceral fat and waist circumference, phase 1 interim data of the INLIGHT trial showed.

At 6 months, in 32 individuals living with overweight or obesity, but with less fat and lower BMI (average 32) than those in phase 2 and 3 obesity studies, the investigational siRNA drug led to reductions in visceral fat (-14%) and total fat (-5%); stabilization of lean mass (+2%); and reductions in waist circumference (-3%) and body weight (-1%).

“Our analysis suggests there will be even greater improvement in individuals with higher BMI in the phase 2a portion of INLIGHT, including more pronounced visceral and total fat loss with similar lean mass preservation, thus inducing greater weight loss,” Christopher Wright, MD, PhD, the company’s chief medical officer, said in a press release.Perhaps. But the news of a 1% weight loss triggered a 50% drop in the company’s stock after the interim results were announced as investors were not impressed.

Nevertheless, the company said, the improvement in body composition as measured by visceral fat-to-muscle ratio observed with the single 240 mg dose (-16.5% vs baseline) in the phase 1 trial was greater than that achieved with weekly 2.4 mg doses of semaglutide at 6 months (-12.2% vs baseline) in the BELIEVE phase 2 clinical trial, which enrolled a higher BMI population (average 37).

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Human genetic data support targeting INHBE (Inhibin Subunit Beta E) as a therapeutic approach for obesity and improved cardiometabolic health, according to the company. Silencing INHBE and its downstream gene product, Activin E, induces fat loss through lipolysis, the breakdown of triglycerides directly in adipocytes, without reducing muscle.

WWhat’s Next

The phase 2a multidose portion of INLIGHT evaluating WVE-007 as monotherapy in individuals with higher BMI (35-50) and comorbidities will start in the second quarter of 2026. The placebo-controlled (3:1) study will include multiple assessments over a 12-month period, including body weight, waist circumference, body composition (MRI and DEXA), liver fat (MRI-derived proton density fat fraction), A1c, lipid levels, C-reactive protein, and muscle function.

The study is expected to demonstrate further body composition improvements, including greater fat loss with preserved muscle, and additional weight loss.

The data from that portion of the trial will inform further development in obesity as well as metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease, the company said. The first assessment in this portion of the trial is planned for 3 months after participants have received their first dose.Additional data from INLIGHT, including data from the 600 mg phase 1 SAD (single ascending dose) cohort, are expected in 2026.

So far, data from the ongoing INLIGHT study “continue to suggest once- or twice-yearly dosing,” a company spokesperson told Medscape Medical News.