Sciwind Biosciences Co. Ltd.’s injectable glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) analog, ecnoglutide (XW-003), achieved positive top-line results in a phase III trial in Chinese adults with type 2 diabetes. A long-acting, cAMP signaling biased GLP-1 analog, ecnoglutide is being developed for treating type 2 diabetes and obesity. GLP-1 receptor agonists are increasingly gaining attention in the obesity therapy area.
Astrazeneca Korea Co. Ltd. will pull its blockbuster diabetes drug, Forxiga (dapagliflozin), from the South Korean market, a company official confirmed to BioWorld, citing “multiple factors” like increasing local competition and continuing price cuts after patent expiry in 2023.
Given what CEO Raymond Stevens called a space that’s “evolving extremely rapidly,” Structure Therapeutics Inc. chose – rather than wait for next year’s 12-week data – to unblind the eight-week obesity findings with GSBR-1290, an oral glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) agonist for which the firm also provided a phase IIa update in patients with type 2 diabetes.
Astrazeneca Korea Co. Ltd. will pull its blockbuster diabetes drug, Forxiga (dapagliflozin), from the South Korean market, a company official confirmed to BioWorld, citing “multiple factors” like increasing local competition and continuing price cuts after patent expiry in 2023.
Biomea Fusion Inc.’s diabetes treatment produced enhanced glycemic control at week 26 courtesy of its 200-mg cohort. It’s the latest advance for the company’s candidate that also has strong prospects in treating leukemia. Top-line data from the ongoing phase II Covalent-111 study of BMF-219, a covalent menin inhibitor for regenerating insulin-producing beta cells, demonstrated that about 40% of participants, four of 11 patients, in the 200-mg cohorts showed a durable reduction, 1% or more, in the amount of blood sugar attached to the type 2 diabetes (T2D) patients’ hemoglobin. The data came from participants who had received the last dose in a four-week treatment.
Researchers from Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Corp. and affiliated organizations have described the discovery and preclinical evaluation of a novel adiponectin receptor (AdipoR)-activating monoclonal antibody, named AdipoRaMab, being developed for the treatment of type 2 diabetes and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH).
After an initial chemical screening, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania and Weill Cornell Medicine identified the Chk1/Chk2 dual inhibitor AZD-7762 among the strongest to induce insulin secretion in various assays.
Lysophosphatidylcholine acyltransferase 3 (LPCAT3), highly expressed in the liver, intestine, and adipose tissues, is an enzyme that preferentially incorporates polyunsaturated fatty acyl chain into lysophospholipids. Previous work showed that LPCAT3 and phospholipid remodeling play a crucial role in regulating glucose metabolism and contribute to the development of insulin resistance in type 2 diabetes.
Fractyl Health Inc. has expanded an academic-industry scientific partnership focused on advancing research on the role of the gut and pancreas in metabolic disease.
Orsobio Inc., already in the clinic with three candidates, has completed its $60 million series A financing. The company, CEO Mani Subramanian told BioWorld, has taken its time to find the right programs, put them together and only raised capital when it saw the programs had legs. Even the series A is a measured step, as Subramanian called the financing “modest.”
