Apitegromab Preserves Lean Mass When Combined With Tirzepatide

MONDAY, June 15, 2026 (HealthDay News) -- Selective targeting of myostatin by apitegromab preserves lean mass when combined with tirzepatide, according to a study published online June 8 in Nature Medicine.Richard E. Pratley, M.D., from the AdventHealth Translational Research Institute in Orlando, Florida, and colleagues conducted a randomized, double-blind phase 2 study involving 102 adults with overweight or obesity. Participants were randomly assigned to tirzepatide plus apitegromab or tirzepatide plus placebo (51 in each arm).The researchers found that compared with placebo, apitegromab resulted in a least square mean of 1.9 kg less lean mass loss at week 24, despite similar total body weight loss between the groups. This represented a 54.9 percent retention of lean mass relative to placebo. Trough concentrations of apitegromab and total latent myostatin both increased over time among participants receiving apitegromab, reaching a plateau after about 16 weeks. A generally similar incidence of adverse events was seen across apitegromab- and placebo-treated participants, with 76 and 71 percent experiencing an adverse event, respectively. Serious adverse events were balanced, with one participant in each arm experiencing a serious adverse event."Results from EMBRAZE demonstrate clinical proof of concept for a highly selective antimyostatin antibody to preserve lean mass with tirzepatide therapy," the authors write.Several authors disclosed ties to biopharmaceutical companies, including Scholar Rock, which is developing apitegromab and funded the study.Abstract/Full Text.Sign up for our weekly HealthDay newsletter

Apitegromab Preserves Lean Mass When Combined With Tirzepatide

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