Rhythm Pharmaceuticals Announces Five New Data Presentations at ObesityWeek® 2024

Core Insights - Rhythm Pharmaceuticals presented new real-world data indicating significant reductions in body mass index (BMI) and improvements in hunger scores among adult patients with acquired hypothalamic obesity treated with setmelanotide [1][2][3] Group 1: Real-World Data Analysis - In a study of eight adult patients, mean BMI decreased by 5.6% after one month, 12.8% after three months, and 21.3% after six months of setmelanotide treatment [2] - All patients experienced a weight reduction of 5% or more after three months, and all showed reductions in multiple hunger score categories [2] - No new safety signals were reported during the treatment period [2] Group 2: Phase 2 and Phase 3 Trial Results - Phase 2 trial data showed a mean BMI reduction of 12.4% in patients with rare MC4R pathway diseases after 40 weeks of continuous setmelanotide therapy [1][5] - In the Phase 3 VENTURE trial, pediatric patients aged 2 to <6 years achieved a mean BMI reduction of 23.8% after 18 months of treatment [1][7] - The Phase 2 trial demonstrated a greater reduction in fat mass (29.6%) compared to lean muscle mass (7.7%) after 12 months of treatment [4] Group 3: Genetic Testing Insights - Analysis of over 43,000 genetic samples revealed a 7.39% positivity rate for likely pathogenic variants associated with early-onset obesity [9][10] - Family history of genetic disease was significantly linked to positive test results, and early-onset hyperphagia was more common in individuals with positive genetic findings [10] Group 4: Company Overview - Rhythm Pharmaceuticals focuses on developing treatments for rare neuroendocrine diseases, with setmelanotide being its lead asset approved for chronic weight management in specific obesity cases [12][13] - The company is advancing a broad clinical development program for setmelanotide and other investigational MC4R agonists [12]