UBT251 lowered blood sugar in adults with type 2 diabetes
Glycated hemoglobin, a long-term blood sugar measure, fell 1.98 to 2.16 percentage points with UBT251, versus 1.77 with semaglutide and 0.66 with placebo at 24 weeks.
Placebo-controlled, multicenter, registered NCT07163624
Limit: Only 24 weeks of follow-up limits assessment of longer-term benefits and harms
Stake: An author works for Novo Nordisk, which develops ubt251. An author works for Zhuhai United Laboratories.
Edited by Boris Djordjevic · AgingResearch.News
In a randomized phase 2 trial, 211 Chinese adults with type 2 diabetes received UBT251, semaglutide or placebo for 24 weeks. Their mean age was 48.4 years, and 131 were male. Researchers gave weekly injections under the skin: UBT251 at 2, 4 or 6 mg, semaglutide at 1 mg, or placebo. The two 4-mg groups started at 0.5 or 1 mg.
UBT251 reduced glycated hemoglobin, a measure of average blood sugar, more than placebo. It also reduced fasting blood sugar, blood sugar two hours after a meal, and waist circumference compared with placebo. Weight fell more with UBT251 than with either placebo or semaglutide. Digestive problems were the most common adverse events that arose during treatment.
Why it matters
For type 2 diabetes, an age-related disease, the findings support further phase 3 evaluation of UBT251.
Caveats
This phase 2 trial lasted 24 weeks and did not establish longer-term benefits or harms. Its findings concern Chinese adults with type 2 diabetes, not people without diabetes.
The paper
The Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University; Zhuhai United Laboratories Co.
Cell Metabolism, Oct 26, 2026
