Research shows bimagrumab may prevent muscle and bone loss associated with weight loss medications like Wegovy, offering hope for safer treatment options.

About a dozen drugmakers are developing new weight-loss treatments aimed at preserving muscle, and industry analysts, clinical trial experts and doctors say they may also need to demonstrate additional health benefits beyond the numbers on a scale to get approved.

Popular weight-loss therapies like Novo Nordisk's Wegovy and Eli Lilly's Zepbound result in both fat and muscle loss.

Roche plans to start a mid-stage trial this year combining the drug and its own GLP-1 weight-loss drug candidate CT-388. Biohaven Biohaven is evaluating its myostatin targeting drug, taldefgrobep alfa,