Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO) and The United Laboratories International Holdings Limited said Wednesday that their jointly developed treatment UBT251 delivered strong improvements in blood glucose control and weight reduction in a phase 2 clinical trial involving Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes.
The study evaluated UBT251, a triple agonist designed to activate GLP-1, GIP and glucagon receptors, in 211 Chinese patients over a 24-week period. Participants received once-weekly injections of either 2 mg, 4 mg or 6 mg of UBT251, with results compared against a placebo group and patients receiving 1 mg of semaglutide.
Patients receiving the highest 6 mg dose recorded an average HbA1c reduction of 2.16% from a starting level of 8.12%. By comparison, those treated with semaglutide 1 mg saw a 1.77% reduction, while the placebo group recorded a decline of 0.66%. HbA1c reflects average blood glucose levels over time and is a key benchmark in managing diabetes.
The trial also produced notable weight-loss outcomes. Patients treated with UBT251 experienced average body weight reductions of up to 9.8% from a baseline of 80.1 kg, compared with a 4.8% reduction among patients taking semaglutide and 1.4% in the placebo group.
Researchers also observed improvements in waist circumference, blood pressure and lipid levels among participants receiving UBT251 relative to placebo. According to the companies, the treatment’s safety profile was consistent with previous studies involving triple agonist therapies.
“Following the recent positive read-out of phase 2 data in people with overweight or obesity, we are encouraged to see the results of this trial, which also demonstrate the potential of UBT251 in a type 2 diabetes population,” said Martin Holst Lange, executive vice president and chief scientific officer at Novo Nordisk.
The clinical study was conducted by United Biotechnology, a subsidiary of United Laboratories, which holds development rights for UBT251 across mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan. Novo Nordisk retains development and commercialization rights for the rest of the world under a partnership agreement signed in March 2025.
Novo Nordisk said it plans to begin a global phase 2 trial of UBT251 in patients with type 2 diabetes during the second half of 2026. The company is already running a separate global phase 2 study examining the drug’s use in weight management, with results expected in 2027.
United Biotechnology plans to present detailed findings from the study at a medical conference later this year and intends to launch two phase 3 trials in Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes based on the encouraging phase 2 results.