AstraZeneca (AstraZeneca (AZN)) is moving its oral GLP-1 drug, elecoglipron, into a big Phase 3 development program after the pill delivered solid 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, give AstraZeneca a strong candidate in the increasingly crowded GLP-1 race. Elecoglipron is an investigational oral, once-daily, small-molecule GLP-1 receptor agonist that mimics the natural GLP-1 hormone.
VISTA Trial: Significant Weight Reduction
The VISTA study enrolled 310 adults with obesity or overweight and at least one related comorbidity. Participants on elecoglipron 75 mg lost an average of 10.5% of their body weight 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 hit its co-primary endpoint: up to 88.8% of patients on elecoglipron achieved at least 5% weight loss. Researchers also reported improvements in exploratory cardiometabolic measures, including reductions in blood pressure and C-reactive protein, a marker of systemic inflammation.
SOLSTICE Trial: 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 on the drug reached guideline-recommended glycemic targets: by week 26, 90% had HbA1c levels below 7%, and 85% achieved levels of 6.5% or lower. The treatment also produced an average body-weight reduction of 7.7%, versus 1.7% for placebo.
Safety Profile and Next Steps
Across both studies, side effects were mostly gastrointestinal and generally mild to moderate. The most common issues were nausea, constipation, diarrhea, and vomiting. Discontinuations due to adverse events were uncommon, and there were 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
AstraZeneca shares were up 0.73% at $182.88 at the time of publication on Tuesday.
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