TLDR
- Novo Nordisk and United Laboratories reported their jointly developed drug UBT251 caused mean weight loss of up to 19.7% after 24 weeks in a mid-stage Chinese trial.
- UBT251 is a “triple G” drug targeting three hormones: GLP-1, GIP, and glucagon.
- The drug showed a safe profile with mild to moderate gastrointestinal side effects that reduced over time.
- This comes a day after CagriSema failed to beat Eli Lilly’s Zepbound in a head-to-head trial.
- Novo Nordisk paid up to $2 billion for global rights to UBT251 in March 2025.
Novo Nordisk and United Laboratories International reported Tuesday that their experimental obesity drug UBT251 produced a mean weight loss of up to 19.7% in a mid-stage clinical trial conducted in China.
Triple agonist UBT251 delivers up to 19.7% mean weight loss after 24 weeks in phase 2 trial in China.
Learn more in the press release here: https://t.co/pA8XmwtRAN pic.twitter.com/3tWDHcF3aD
— Novo Nordisk (@novonordisk) February 24, 2026
The trial ran for 24 weeks and compared different once-weekly injectable doses of UBT251 against a placebo in Chinese patients with overweight or obesity.
Patients started from a baseline mean body weight of 92.2 kg. The placebo group lost just 2.0% over the same period.
Beyond weight loss, patients also showed improvements in waist circumference, blood glucose, and blood pressure compared to placebo.
The drug showed a safe and well-tolerated profile. Gastrointestinal side effects were mild to moderate and decreased over time.
UBT251 is being called a “triple G” drug because it targets three hormones: GLP-1, GIP, and glucagon. That sets it apart from current GLP-1 only drugs like Wegovy and Zepbound.
The GLP-1 component suppresses appetite. GIP helps reduce appetite and blood sugar. Glucagon works to prevent low blood-sugar levels.
How UBT251 Stacks Up
The trial results land at a tricky moment for Novo Nordisk. Just one day earlier, the company released data showing its CagriSema drug achieved 23% weight loss over 84 weeks — but still fell short of Eli Lilly’s tirzepatide, which hit 25.5% in the same head-to-head study.
Novo Nordisk’s stock fell 3.10% on the day the CagriSema data dropped.
United Biotechnology, the subsidiary that ran the Chinese trial, now plans to move UBT251 into a late-stage trial with Chinese patients based on these results.
Novo Nordisk separately started its own global trial of UBT251, testing different doses in around 330 people for up to 28 weeks. Results from that trial are expected in 2027.
The company also plans to start a mid-stage trial targeting Type 2 diabetes patients later this year.
The Deal Behind the Drug
Novo Nordisk secured global rights to UBT251 in March 2025 through a deal with United Laboratories worth up to $2 billion. The deal gives Novo exclusive rights to develop, manufacture, and commercialize UBT251 everywhere except mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan — those markets stay with United Biotechnology.
The agreement was one of several Novo Nordisk has signed recently to rebuild its drug pipeline. The company also tried to acquire U.S. startup Metsera, but lost that bidding war to Pfizer.
Novo Nordisk’s Chief Scientific Officer Martin Holst Lange said the company is “very encouraged” by the Chinese trial data and believes it shows the potential of UBT251.
The global trial results for UBT251 are expected in 2027.
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