Ibio Inc. has expanded its cardiometabolic and obesity treatment development program by in-licensing a long-acting anti-myostatin antibody from Astralbio Inc. The antibody, now named IBIO-600, was identified by Astralbio using Ibio’s proprietary technology stack.

Amylyx Pharmaceuticals Inc. and Gubra A/S have established a collaboration for the development of a novel long-acting GLP-1 receptor antagonist.

Hoth Therapeutics Inc. has entered into an exclusive patent license agreement with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), providing Hoth with exclusive rights to a jointly owned patent portfolio co-developed by the VA and Emory University.

2024 was another banner year for GLP-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs) on multiple fronts. They continued to expand into new indications, and provide their developers with both rich remuneration and scientific acclamation. There are now seven approved GLP-1RAs. Commercially, the most successful one so far is semaglutide, sold under the brand name Wegovy or Ozempic depending on the indication.

Bio-path Holdings Inc. has conducted preclinical studies of BP-1001-A, a drug product modification of prexigebersen, confirming its effectiveness in affecting insulin signaling for the potential treatment of obesity and related metabolic diseases in type 2 diabetes patients.

Arbor Biotechnologies Inc. has gained IND clearance from the FDA for ABO-101, a novel gene editing therapeutic designed to address primary hyperoxaluria type 1 (PH1). A phase I/II study in adult and pediatric patients with PH1 is expected to begin in the first half of 2025.

Merck & Co. Inc. and Hansoh Pharmaceutical Group Co. Ltd. have entered into an exclusive global license agreement for HS-10535, a preclinical oral small-molecule glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist. Hansoh Pharma has granted Merck an exclusive global license to develop, manufacture and commercialize HS-10535.