A federal appeals court opened the door Aug. 6 for an amended class-action lawsuit alleging that Astrazeneca plc, Eli Lilly and Co., Novo Nordisk A/S and Sanofi SA engaged in a horizontal price-fixing conspiracy involving insulin products and GLP-1 drugs indicated in diabetes when they each adopted similar policies in 2020 to impose restrictions on 340B discounts to an unlimited number of contract pharmacies.

Innogen Pharmaceutical Group announced an $86 million IPO on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange that will see the company advance its lead product, Diabegone (efsubaglutide alfa), an ultra-long-acting glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist into new global markets for type 2 diabetes as well as other metabolic diseases.

Nitrogen-containing heteroaromatic-based inhibitors for cytochrome P450 (CYP) in various species contain a crucial coordination between the nitrogen atom and the heme iron. Previous studies suggested that 1,3-oxazole could bind heme-iron with a strength comparable to pyridine, highlighting its potential as a novel heme-iron binding moiety.

The difference between the origin of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and its symptoms is an obstacle to finding effective treatments. Scientists focused on amyloid-β (Aβ) plaques and tau aggregates to slow neurodegeneration and cognitive decline. Without identifying what causes AD, approved treatments do not provide much benefit. However, new findings suggest that restoring lithium levels in the brain could prevent and treat AD. Not just any lithium would work, just the forms that do not bind to Aβ.

The fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) analogue space took another turn as Novo Nordisk A/S said during its second-quarter financial update that work with zalfermin (NNC0194-0499) will be discontinued. A phase II study testing the compound in combination with glucagon-like peptide-1 therapy failed to hit the primary endpoint related to liver fibrosis in metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH), without MASH worsening.

Madrigal Pharmaceuticals Inc.’s long-awaited business development pact became reality by way of an exclusive global license agreement that could be worth more than $2 billion with CSPC Pharmaceutical Group Ltd., of Shijiazhuang, China, for SYH-2086. The candidate is a preclinical oral, small-molecule glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist and orforglipron derivative.

Deep learning tools for protein design can also be used to create molecules that bind to them. Certain peptides, such as intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs), are challenging to target due to their variable nature. However, scientists from the lab of Nobel laureate David Baker have developed a method to generate binders for IDPs by searching the world’s largest protein database with their AI-powered tool RFdiffusion.

The U.S. FDA has approved Innovent Biologics, Inc.’s IND application to initiate a phase I clinical trial of its oral GLP-1R agonist IBI-3032.