Novonesis expects results from weight-loss drug supplement study in 2027

By Vera Dvorakova and Jesus Calero

Aug 20 (Reuters) - Danish biosolutions maker Novonesis expects results in the second half of 2027 from research with Novo Nordisk into whether microbiome supplements could provide additional benefits alongside GLP-1 weight-loss drugs, its chief executive told Reuters.

The companies announced the partnership last year to explore how the gut microbiome could improve metabolic health and to develop and test synbiotic food supplements.

The focus has since shifted to whether solutions targeting the microbiome can deliver benefits alongside GLP-1-based medicines, a Novo Nordisk spokesperson said in an emailed statement.

Novonesis CEO Ester Baiget said people taking GLP-1 medicines would also take "a combination of synbiotics, probiotics and prebiotics", with results from the research expected in the second half of 2027.

When announcing the collaboration, the companies said they planned to study the supplements' effects on measures including blood glucose and cholesterol, as well as changes in the gut microbiome and related biomarkers.

The work brings together Novo Nordisk, maker of obesity drug Wegovy, and Novonesis' expertise in probiotics and the human microbiome, as companies seek to develop products and services tailored to users of weight-loss drugs.

Novo Nordisk, Eli Lilly and other drugmakers are racing to capture a share of the booming obesity market, and growing use of GLP-1 medicines is creating opportunities for food, nutrition and supplement companies targeting patients' changing dietary needs.

Nestle is developing products aimed at weight-loss drug users, while dairy companies and food manufacturers are investing to meet rising demand for protein-rich products.

Novonesis, formed through the merger of Novozymes and Chr. Hansen, supplies enzymes and microorganisms. Its Human Health business includes probiotics, human milk oligosaccharides and other nutrition products.

Baiget declined to say whether Novonesis could pursue similar collaborations with other obesity-drug makers.

(Reporting by Vera Dvorakova and Jesus Calero in Gdansk; editing by Matt Scuffham)