Artelo’s ex-AstraZeneca cannabinoid agonist holds its own against GLP

Artelo Biosciences’ oral dual cannabinoid agonist showed weight loss comparable to the GLP-1 receptor agonist semaglutide in obese mice. When Artelo’s ART27.13 was used in combination with semaglutide, the active ingredient in GLP-1 drugs Ozempic and Wegovy, mice had double the weight loss compared with semaglutide alone. Interestingly, the company reported in a Sept. 16 release that the weight-loss effect was specific to obese mice, as lean mice dosed with ART27.13 alone did not show changes in body weight, fat mass or lean mass. “The consistency of these results across the initial pilot study and the follow-on study and in every measure we examined—body weight, food consumption, body composition and other metabolic parameters—is what gives us confidence in the signal,” Saoirse O’Sullivan, Ph.D., vice president of translational science at Artelo, said. The study evaluated ART27.13 alone and in combination with semaglutide in obese mice fed a high-fat diet, as well as ART27.13 alone in lean mice. In obese mice fed a high-fat diet, ART27.13 alone reduced body weight from baseline by approximately 20% over four weeks, similar to the weight loss in mice given semaglutide. Obese mice treated with both ART27.13 and semaglutide lost approximately 40% of their baseline body weight. About 80% of the total weight lost with ART27.13 monotherapy or the combination was fat, compared with about 70% with semaglutide alone. ART27.13 is an oral cannabinoid receptor agonist that targets cannabinoid receptors 1 and 2, or CB1 and CB2. These two receptors are part of the endocannabinoid system, which helps regulate many functions in the body, including mood, appetite, metabolism and inflammation. One well-known compound that affects the endocannabinoid system is tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, the main psychoactive compound in marijuana. THC acts as a partial agonist at cannabinoid receptors, including CB1. ART27.13 is designed to selectively target peripheral CB1 and CB2 receptors, minimizing central nervous system-mediated effects, O’Sullivan explained to Fierce. Artelo has been developing ART27.13 as a treatment for cancer anorexia-cachexia syndrome, a severe wasting disorder that causes weight loss, muscle wasting and loss of appetite in people with advanced cancer. The asset is currently being evaluated in the phase 2 portion of the CAReS trial, which has operated across five countries, to assess ART27.13's effects on measures including body weight, lean body mass and anorexia. In September 2025, Artelo announced positive interim phase 2 data showing that patients who reached the highest evaluated dose of ART27.13 gained an average of about 6% of their body weight over 12 weeks, while patients receiving placebo lost about 5%. Andy Yates, Ph.D., Artelo’s chief scientific officer, told Fierce that Artelo is actively engaging in partnership discussions to best advance ART27.13 for both cancer anorexia-cachexia syndrome and obesity. He sees ART27.13 fitting well into the obesity market alongside GLP-1s while also having a manufacturing advantage, as ART27.13 is a chemically synthesized compound that can be given at very low doses. “When it comes to my big vision for this drug, I would think of this as a weight management compound,” Yates said. ART27.13 was originally developed by AstraZeneca under the name AZD1940 for pain. After AstraZeneca discontinued development, rights to the drug were transferred to Montreal-based Neomed Institute, a research center established with $100 million in backing from AstraZeneca, Pfizer and the Quebec government. Artelo entered into an agreement with Neomed in 2017 that gave it an option to exclusively license the drug. Under the deal, Neomed was eligible for milestone payments of up to $202 million, along with royalties on future sales.