Why Novo Nordisk Stock Pumped Higher on Thursday

Positive news from the laboratory was the wind beneath the wings of Novo Nordisk (NYSE: NVO) stock on Thursday. The Denmark-based pharmaceutical company, famed for its Ozempic and Wegovy drugs, saw its share price improve by nearly 3% on the day after it reported the results of a late-stage clinical trial. That rise easily bettered the 0.4% gain of the S&P 500 index.

Amycretin is advancing

That news concerned amycretin, an investigational weight-loss drug that would represent a step up from the highly popular Wegovy. Novo Nordisk reported that it is advancing amycretin to a phase 3 study.

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The company is making the move after receiving feedback on earlier-stage testing. In the final phase, both subcutaneous and oral forms of the drug will be put through their paces. Novo Nordisk hopes to launch the trials in the first quarter of 2026.

Like Wegovy and Ozempic, amycretin is a GLP-1 agonist, however it also imitates another hormone known as amylin (hence its name). Dual agonists such as this are currently being trialed by several Novo Nordisk peers, and are seen by some as the potential future of weight loss drugs (Wegovy and the closely related Ozempic are single-agonist treatments).

This will be a high-profile trial

These days it's hard to be disappointed in any company advancing a promising weight loss drug; hence the small pop that followed Novo Nordisk's announcement. Amycretin has tested well thus far, so this is a sensible (if not unexpected) next step. Phase 3 is the most crucial period of drug testing in many ways, so more than a few eyes will be on the company as amycretin makes its way through the trial.

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Eric Volkman has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends Novo Nordisk. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.