UBT251 Phase 2: more weight loss than semaglutide

A once-weekly triple agonist from a Novo Nordisk partner cut blood sugar and body weight in Chinese adults with type 2 diabetes, and the full Phase 2 results are now peer-reviewed. Cell Metabolism published the trial online on October 26, 2026. Topline numbers had been announced on March 25 by The United Laboratories International Holdings Limited (TUL) and Novo Nordisk.

The drug, UBT251, activates the receptors for GLP-1, GIP and glucagon. It was developed by The United Bio-Technology (Hengqin) Co., Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of TUL (Hong Kong stock code 3933). Several co-authors are from Novo Nordisk, including Lasse Hjort Kyneb Jakobsen and Nicolas Belmar Nazal.

What the trial tested

The paper describes a randomized, double-blind, multicenter Phase 2 study in 211 Chinese adults with type 2 diabetes who were on lifestyle measures alone or with metformin. Mean age was 48.4 years; 131 of the 211 were male. At baseline, mean HbA1c was 8.12%, mean weight was 80.1 kg, and mean BMI was 29.1.

Participants were assigned to once-weekly subcutaneous UBT251 at four regimens (lowest dose; two mid-dose arms that started at different levels; and highest dose), to once-weekly semaglutide as an active comparator, or to placebo, for 24 weeks. The arm sizes were 43, 21, 22, 42, 41 and 42. The primary endpoint was the change in HbA1c from baseline at week 24. The study is registered as NCT07163624 and CTR20250029.

Blood sugar

Under the paper’s efficacy estimand, least-squares mean HbA1c changes at week 24 were:

• UBT251: −2.16% to −1.98% across the four regimens
• Semaglutide: −1.77%
• Placebo: −0.66%

Placebo-adjusted differences for UBT251 ranged from −1.50 to −1.32 percentage points (all p under 0.001). Against semaglutide, every UBT251 arm was numerically better, but a statistically significant difference appeared only for the lowest dose (p=0.020). The other three UBT251 regimens were not statistically significant versus semaglutide (p=0.302, 0.123 and 0.061).

That nuance matters. TUL’s March 25 Hong Kong filing said the HbA1c reduction was “significantly better” than both semaglutide and placebo. The peer-reviewed table supports a clear win over placebo; versus semaglutide, only one dose cleared the significance bar.

Weight

Percentage weight change at week 24 was −7.8% at the lowest UBT251 dose, −9.8% and −9.6% at the two mid-dose regimens, and −9.8% at the highest dose, against −4.8% with semaglutide and −1.4% with placebo. The paper says weight reduction with UBT251 was significantly greater than both placebo (all p under 0.001) and semaglutide (all p under 0.05). The largest gap versus semaglutide was −5.0 percentage points.

UBT251 also reduced fasting blood glucose, two-hour post-meal glucose and waist circumference versus placebo (all p under 0.001), the authors report.

Safety

Gastrointestinal events were the most common treatment-emergent adverse events, in line with other incretin and triple-agonist trials. Sixteen participants (7.6%) discontinued the study early, most often by withdrawing consent (13 of 16). None of the discontinuations were in the semaglutide arm. One UBT251 participant discontinued treatment because of an adverse event; none did so in the semaglutide or placebo arms. No deaths were reported.

Who holds the rights

In March 2025, United Biotechnology licensed UBT251 to Novo Nordisk. The companies’ March 2026 release says Novo Nordisk is responsible for development in “the rest of the world,” and that Novo obtained exclusive worldwide rights excluding Chinese mainland, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan, while United Biotechnology retained those regions. The Cell Metabolism paper states the same carve-out: Novo obtained rights outside mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan.

TUL said in March it would start Phase 3 in China. The joint release said United Biotechnology planned two Phase 3 trials in Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes. The paper’s authors write that the findings support further Phase 3 evaluation. Novo Nordisk said in March it expected to start a global Phase 2 trial in type 2 diabetes in the second half of 2026 and was already running a global weight-management program.

What is not known

• How UBT251 compares with other triple agonists. This trial used semaglutide, a GLP-1-only drug, as the active comparator. It does not compare UBT251 with Lilly’s investigational triple agonist retatrutide.
• Results outside China. The Phase 2 diabetes data are from Chinese adults on lifestyle measures or metformin. Global Novo trials were not the source of this paper.
• Longer use. The treatment period was 24 weeks. Durability, rare safety events and outcomes after stopping are not established here.
• Approval. UBT251 is investigational. No major regulator has approved it for diabetes or weight management.

UBT251 is not approved for any use. Amino Wire does not give medical advice.