China’s National Medical Products Administration has accepted for review Jiuyuan Genetic Biopharmaceutical Co. Ltd.’s drug application for Jikeqin, a biosimilar product to Novo Nordisk A/S’s Wegovy (semaglutide) for obesity.
Coming off a U.S. FDA approval of the first GLP-1 in pill format, Novo Nordisk A/S leaned further into oral drug delivery efforts, partnering with Vivtex Corp. to develop next-generation oral formulations of peptide and protein therapeutics in a potential $2.1 billion deal that marks the highest-profile news for Vivtex since the firm spun out of MIT in 2018.
Ascletis Pharma Inc. raised HK$843.53 million (US107.93 million) in a placement on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange to advance its lead program, ASC-30, a small-molecule glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist that can be dosed once monthly subcutaneously and once daily orally for treating obesity.
Shares in Novo Nordisk A/S took another battering after the company announced its next-generation obesity drug Cagrisema failed to show noninferiority to Eli Lilly and Co. Inc.’s Zepbound in an open-label comparator study.
Animate Biosciences Inc.’s lead therapeutic peptide MBb32 produced a significant reduction in cardiac scar tissue and subsequent recovery of heart function in a mouse model of severe myocardial injury.
In a deal worth up to $1.8 billion for oral macrocyclic peptide developer Unnatural Products Inc., Novartis AG has signed a research collaboration and licensing agreement for an undisclosed program.
Renal fibrosis originates from diverse etiologies, including diabetes, hypertension, glomerulonephritis and prolonged obstruction, which lead to persistent inflammation and altered repair processes that drive fibrogenesis. M2 macrophages, especially those expressing the macrophage mannose receptor (CD206), play a crucial role in driving fibrogenesis.
Viking Therapeutics Inc. said after-market hours Feb. 11 that it plans to advance its oral dual GLP-1/GIP receptor, VK-2735, into a phase III trial for obesity in the third quarter of 2026. VK-2735 is a novel dual glucagon-like peptide-1 and glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GLP-1/GIP) receptor agonist.
Ascletis Pharma Inc. raised HK$843.53 million (US107.93 million) in a placement on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange to advance its lead program, ASC-30, a small-molecule glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist that can be dosed once monthly subcutaneously and once daily orally for treating obesity.
Novo Nordisk A/S’ television ad introducing the tablet form of its weight-loss drug, Wegovy (semaglutide), to American consumers didn’t pass regulatory muster.
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