[Edaily Reporter KIM SAE-MI ] #Onconic Therapeutics Inc. has unveiled a new drug candidate designed to reduce muscle loss that can occur during weight loss when used in combination with existing glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) class obesity treatments.

Onconic Therapeutics Inc. announced on the 12th that research findings on its drug candidate “OCN-501” have been selected for an oral presentation at “ObesityWeek 2026,” organized by The Obesity Society.

The title of the presentation is “OCN-501: The First-in-Class Drug to Preserve Skeletal Muscle During Semaglutide-Induced Weight Loss.” Semaglutide is the active ingredient in Novo Nordisk’s obesity treatment “Wegovy.”

OCN-501 is a new drug candidate designed to complement the limitations of existing treatments—such as muscle loss—through combination therapy, rather than replacing existing GLP-1-based obesity treatments. This marks the first time Onconic Therapeutics Inc. has unveiled a new drug pipeline, following its gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) treatment “Zacubo” and the anticancer drug candidate “Nesupalip.”

While GLP-1-based obesity treatments demonstrate significant weight loss effects, they have the limitation of potentially reducing not only body fat but also lean body mass and muscle mass. Consequently, the global pharmaceutical industry is showing growing interest in combination therapy strategies that minimize muscle loss while maintaining weight loss effects.

Onconic Therapeutics Inc. is studying the effects of OCN-501 in preserving skeletal muscle during weight loss induced by semaglutide. However, specific mechanisms of action, the stage of research, and quantitative data to substantiate the skeletal muscle-preserving effects have not yet been disclosed.

This study was accepted as a “Late-Breaking Abstract” at ObesityWeek 2026 and was also selected for the oral presentation session titled “Next-Generation Obesity Therapies and Clinical Outcomes.” The company plans to disclose specific research methods and results at the conference to be held next month in Washington, D.C.

An Onconic Therapeutics Inc. spokesperson stated, “OCN-501 is the first-in-class new drug candidate being developed with the strategic goal of creating new therapeutic value through combination therapy with GLP-1 agonists, which already constitute a massive market,” adding, “Specific research data and results are scheduled to be unveiled for the first time during the oral presentation at ObesityWeek next month.”