AstraZeneca’s CEO Focused on Obesity Drug That Lasts Even After Treatment Ends
- Current therapies have ‘limitations’ like reducing muscle mass
- Global pharma companies increasingly interested in the sector
Pascal Soriot
Photographer: Cole Burston/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
AstraZeneca Plc is intent on solving limitations in current treatments for obesity by developing a drug that lasts even after patients stop taking it, according to Chief Executive Officer Pascal Soriot.
The company is looking at a treatment that would target a specific type of fat, while maintaining muscle mass, which tends to decline when people lose weight, he said in an interview. The growing popularity of weight-loss drugs have given added impetus to developing a product that resolves their shortcomings, including patients regaining weight once they stop taking medications, he said.