Lexaria's DehydraTECH-Semaglutide Shows Significant Reduction in Side Effects Compared to Rybelsus®

Lexaria Bioscience Corp. has announced positive interim results from its phase 1b study, GLP-1-H24-4, highlighting the superiority of DehydraTECH-semaglutide in reducing side effects compared to Rybelsus®. The study, focusing on the DehydraTECH (DHT) glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) study arms, showed a 36.5% reduction in overall adverse events (AEs) and a 43.5% reduction in gastrointestinal (GI) AEs with DHT-semaglutide versus Rybelsus®. This development is significant as it addresses the challenge of unwanted side effects in GLP-1 medications, potentially improving patient adherence to treatment protocols.

The interim results also indicated that only 79.2% of patients in the DHT-semaglutide study arm experienced AEs, compared to 100% in the Rybelsus® control arm. This represents a 10.1% reduction relative to the broader patient population in Novo Nordisk's Semaglutide Treatment Effect in People with obesity (STEP) studies. The reduction in AEs, particularly GI-related, could encourage more patients to continue their treatment without premature discontinuation, a common issue due to the side effects associated with current GLP-1 medications.

While the study is still in its early stages, with only 8-week interim results available, the findings are promising. The full results, expected by the end of calendar-2025, will provide a more comprehensive understanding of the efficacy and safety of DHT-semaglutide and DHT-tirzepatide. The study's progress towards the 'last patient last visit' milestone indicates that it remains on schedule, with additional interim data potentially being released as it becomes available.