Novo Nordisk’s new weight-loss drug helped patients lose even more weight on average than its current Wegovy blockbuster treatment, an early-stage trial showed, as the drugmaker races to develop the next generation of obesity medicines.

Novo Nordisk A/S is hunting for more early-stage deals to pad its pipeline of next-generation obesity drugs, as the drugmaker struggles to fend off rivals in the burgeoning weight-loss market it helped pioneer.

Some new medications in development are also trying to solve for a persistent side effect of existing drugs: Patients who lose fat also tend to lose muscle. This can be particularly dangerous for older adults because it makes them more likely to fall and can worsen osteoporosis.