Real Chemistry plans to harness the “Wild West” of GLP-1 social media and reams of competitive data in the drug category with a new platform called IRIS.
An all-in-one dashboard sits at the center of the service with real-time data that include clinical trial tracking, script and claims information, consumer behaviors, payer, policy and market access news, and both paid and unpaid communications and media.
Real Chemistry will market IRIS to the biotech and pharma companies involved in GLP-1 drug development and those tracking the category, but also plans to branch out to other industries like fitness, food and beverage.
IRIS debuts against the frenetic backdrop of GLP-1 drug development — 119 active candidates by Real Chemistry’s count, with 53 in Phase 3 or 4 — and a pop culture fascination with obesity and weight loss uses. GLP-1 drugs already approved to treat diabetes and obesity include Novo Nordisk’s semaglutide medications Ozempic, Wegovy and Rybelsus, and Eli Lilly’s tirzepatide drugs Mounjaro and Zepbound.
Real Chemistry estimates about 229 million people in the US are overweight or living with diabetes, and about 23% are diagnosed with obesity. About 3.5% are currently prescribed a GLP-1 for chronic weight management.
Rita Glaze-Rowe“We know that this has far-reaching impacts on health and healthcare and not just what happens in the ecosystem, but in general,” said Rita Glaze-Rowe, Real Chemistry’s president of its Transformative Healthcare Markets practice. “We’re seeing things like GLP-1 certified trainers now in the fitness industry because of the difference in fitness training that is needed if you’re on a GLP-1.”
The insight service news comes as Eli Lilly reported $2.3 billion in combined tirzepatide drug sales for the first quarter, along with robust demand and shortages. Novo Nordisk will report its first-quarter GLP-1 sales data on Thursday.
Still, the GLP-1 market is expected to move beyond diabetes and obesity. Novo and Lilly are studying indications in cardiovascular disease — Wegovy got an FDA nod as a way to reduce the risk of cardiovascular events in March — plus liver disease and sleep apnea. They and other drugmakers are also looking at potential positive effects in kidney disease, addiction treatment, cancer and neurodegenerative disease.
A team of five managers and analysts led by Glaze-Rowe will launch the platform and sell licensed seats to use the dashboard as well as separate individual market reports. The first report, “GLP-1 Agonists: Signals of a New Era,” is already available.
“With the GLP-1 market, the market is moving so fast where we know there’s incredibly high need, but also combined with a social and cultural landscape that we’ve not experienced before,” Glaze-Rowe said. “When we look at this just from an obesity perspective, it truly is the most relatable condition … We’ve not really seen a therapeutic category that has this kind of dramatic impact on a core of people and also from a population health perspective.”