The Story of Maridebart Cafraglutide (MariTide)

While Murielle Véniant-Ellison came to Amgen more than two decades ago to study lipids, her journey of scientific discovery led to one of the most complex challenges in medicine: obesity.

A Problem That Demands New Thinking

Obesity is one of today's major public health challenges. By the end of this decade, more than one billion people worldwide are expected to be living with the disease. Many are also living with serious obesity-related conditions, like cardiovascular disease, heart failure, type 2 diabetes and obstructive sleep apnea.

For many years, there were few treatment options, which left a large unmet medical need. Obesity is about more than just body weight. It is driven by complex systems that regulate hunger, metabolism, and energy balance.

Understanding how to approach this complexity had proven elusive for a long time. But this has been changing.

Not a Straight Line

Murielle's early work in obesity at Amgen focused on GLP-1 biology. However, as is often the case when trying to solve vexing problems, positive results didn't come immediately.

But Murielle and her team continued. In drug discovery, a single result rarely tells the full story. Walking away too early can mean missing what matters. But continuation also means investing time and resources towards one approach at the sacrifice of another.

A Signal in the Data

The turning point came from human genetics.

Working with Amgen's deCODE Genetics in Iceland, scientists analyzed DNA from hundreds of thousands of individuals, which revealed a signal suggesting to, "block the GIP receptor."

This genetic signal gave the team confidence to keep going.

Building Something Different

Then the question became how to design a molecule to act on that insight. Faced with a choice about two different pathways, the team had an "aha" moment.

Why not try to combine the actions of GIP and GLP-1?

One of Amgen's greatest strengths is its expertise in designing and manufacturing new, complex molecules based on novel insights into disease. So Murielle and her team leaned into that strength.

They engineered a molecule that could block the GIP receptor and activate the GLP-1 pathway at the same time. It was a different approach to a complex challenge, a way of thinking outside the box when it comes to drug discovery.

From Idea to Potential Therapy

Turning that design into a potential medicine required many years of work.

Drug discovery begins with an idea, but reaching patients demands persistence in the lab-testing, refining, and moving forward step by step.

Because of its structure and properties, MariTide may allow for monthly or even less frequent dosing.

The Story is Still Being Written

MariTide is an investigational medicine that combines insights from human genetics with advances in molecular design. It is currently being evaluated in a Phase 3 clinical trial development program called MARITIME for the treatment of obesity and obesity-related conditions.