AstraZeneca’s new weight-loss pill, AZD5004, shows promise in early trials with tolerable side effects, advancing to Phase II studies focused on reducing obesity.
AstraZeneca reported on Monday that its experimental weight-loss pill, AZD5004, licensed from China's Eccogene for up to $2 billion, was found safe and tolerable in an early-stage trial.
The study, which included 72 participants who were either healthy or had type 2 diabetes, showed side effects consistent with other GLP-1 drugs, such as nausea and vomiting. Based on these findings, AstraZeneca has advanced AZD5004 to Phase II trials focused on weight reduction in overweight and obese individuals, with completion expected by late 2025.
Unlike injectable treatments from competitors Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk, AZD5004 is a small molecule pill that can be combined with other medications and taken with or without food, offering potential advantages for patients with additional health conditions.
AstraZeneca also shared early-stage data on other obesity drugs, AZD6234 and AZD9550, which target different hunger-related hormones and will undergo further Phase II testing through 2026.
Meanwhile, Viking Therapeutics released early trial results for its own oral obesity drug, which briefly boosted its stock before a decline.
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Iran's Revolutionary Guards Navy said a Togo-flagged oil tanker was struck while attempting to make an “illegal passage” through the Strait of Hormuz, Iranian state media said early on Friday.
Saudi civil defence sent an all-clear on Saturday after issuing alerts for a second time for potential danger in Riyadh and the city of Al-Kharj east of the capital, amid an uptick in attacks by Iran-aligned Houthis on the Gulf country.
The European Union will disburse €3.3 billion ($3.8 billion) to Ukraine for missiles and drones, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said after a phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Houthi attacks target Riyadh amid concerns over Saudi oil supplies, as Iran says it will not reopen the Strait of Hormuz until its conditions are met and U.S. commitments are implemented, parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said on Sunday.
The U.S. State Department approved a $2.7 billion military sale to Ukraine for air-defence development upgrades, along with related equipment and services, the department said. Meanwhile, Ukrainian authorities reported at least 10 people had died in Russian attacks over the last 24 hours.
Chinese researchers have developed the world’s smallest CT scanner, a portable device designed to produce images of tiny fossils and archaeological relics.
Here's your AnewZ Daily Brief for 17 September 2026. These are the top five stories making headlines in the field of health.
Doctors in St. Louis have successfully separated Ethiopian two-year-old twin girls who were born joined at the head after a months-long series of complex operations culminating in a nearly 25-hour final procedure, doctors said on Wednesday.
Tobacco use may significantly reduce fertility in both men and women, according to a new World Health Organization (WHO) publication that highlights growing evidence linking smoking and exposure to second-hand smoke with reproductive health problems.
A record-breaking heatwave that swept across western Europe in late June has been linked to more than 10,000 excess deaths, according to newly released mortality data, highlighting the growing human toll of extreme temperatures across the continent.
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