Peptide

Parabilis takes top spot, pricing largest biopharma IPO at $670M

Wed, 10 Jun 2026 12:00:00 -0400

Less than two months after Kailera Therapeutics Inc. made headlines with biopharma’s largest IPO to date, Parabilis Medicines Inc. has come along and surpassed it. The oncology-focused firm priced its upsized IPO of 3.5 million shares at $20 apiece for gross proceeds of $670 million, an amount that could rise to $770 million should underwriters exercise their full 5-million-share overallotment option.

Wuxi Apptec insists it’s ‘not a Chinese military company’

Tue, 09 Jun 2026 12:00:00 -0400

Wuxi Apptec isn’t going down without a fight after the U.S. Department of Defense added it to the Section 1260H list June 8 as a designated “Chinese military company,” which makes it a “biotechnology company of concern” under the Biosecure Act. “Such designation is mistaken and baseless,” the global contract research, development and manufacturing organization said in an open letter to its life sciences partners. “We will pursue every available avenue to correct this mistake.” That includes appealing the designation.

GLP-1s and more weigh in at ADA

Tue, 09 Jun 2026 12:00:00 -0400

GLP-1 receptor agonists remained center stage at the 2026 Scientific Sessions of the American Diabetes Association with Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH and Astrazeneca plc, joining the leaders, Eli Lilly and Co. and Novo Nordisk A/S, in presenting data for their respective GLP-1 drugs.

D&D’s zabopegdutide shows more upbeat top-line phase II MASH data

Tue, 02 Jun 2026 12:00:00 -0400

D&D Pharmatech Inc. announced May 27 positive top-line tissue biopsy results of zabopegdutide (DD-01) from a 48-week phase II study of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH), pushing company shares up 30% on the day.

Hanmi, Haisco win billion-dollar partnerships with Eli Lilly

Tue, 02 Jun 2026 12:00:00 -0400

Hanmi Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. secured a $1.26 billion deal with Eli Lilly and Co. to out-license ex-Korea rights to sonefpeglutide (HM-15912), a Lapscovery-based glucagon-like peptide-2 analog in development for multiple indications, including an ongoing phase II study of short bowel syndrome. It was one of two billion-dollar Asian company deals signed by Lilly on June 1, with the second transaction involving Haisco Pharmaceutical Group Co. Ltd., of Beijing.

Hanmi, Haisco win billion-dollar partnerships with Eli Lilly

Mon, 01 Jun 2026 12:00:00 -0400

D&D’s zabopegdutide shows more upbeat top-line phase II MASH data

Wed, 27 May 2026 12:00:00 -0400

Newco news: Oorja energizes with $30M for IPF

Fri, 22 May 2026 12:00:00 -0400

Oorja Bio Inc., named after the phonetic spelling of “energy” in Sanskrit, secured $30 million from founding investor Westlake Biopartners in a series A financing round to advance its in-licensing approach to develop drugs for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and other fibrotic and cardiopulmonary diseases.

Another Triumph: Lilly’s triple G agonist scores in obesity

Thu, 21 May 2026 12:00:00 -0400

Posting another win for its triple G agonist, Eli Lilly and Co. rolled out top-line phase III data from Triumph-1 showing that all doses of retatrutide met primary and key secondary endpoints for obesity, with participants losing on average between 19% and 28.3% of body weight and significantly improving their cardiovascular risk factors.

AAV-encoded dimeric PICK1 inhibitors reduce inflammatory, neuropathic pain in mice

Mon, 18 May 2026 09:00:00 -0400

Researchers from the University of Copenhagen and collaborating institutions aimed to develop a therapy for chronic neuropathic pain based on gene therapy delivered with adeno-associated viral (AAV) vectors.

MBX highlights early data for monthly obesity drug MBX-4291

Mon, 11 May 2026 12:00:00 -0400

Shares of MBX Biosciences Inc. hit a 52-week high on preliminary phase I data for its MBX-4291, a GLP-1/GIP co-agonist prodrug for obesity. Though early and still blinded, findings from the trial showed promising efficacy, along with good tolerability and the potential for once-monthly dosing, factors that will likely be critical for MBX to compete in the crowded obesity space.

Takeda takes rusfertide’s US rights; Protagonist opts out for cash

Tue, 28 Apr 2026 12:00:00 -0400

More than two years after signing a $1.7 billion deal with Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., Protagonist Therapeutics Inc. has opted out of a 50-50 U.S. profit-and-loss sharing arrangement for its hepcidin mimetic peptide, rusfertide, a priority review drug developed to treat adults with polycythemia vera.

CMS to Bridge coverage for obesity drugs as BALANCE teeters

Wed, 22 Apr 2026 12:00:00 -0400

When the U.S. CMS didn’t get takers for its voluntary Better Approaches to Lifestyle and Nutrition for Comprehensive Health (BALANCE) model to cover obesity drugs under Medicare Part D, the agency punted. It announced late April 21 that it will indefinitely delay the BALANCE model in Medicare but extend its temporary Medicare GLP-1 Bridge demonstration model through the end of 2027. (The Medicaid BALANCE model will still kick in this year in states that choose to participate in it.)

Peptide GFRAL/RET antagonists against GDF15-induced effects of chemotherapy

Fri, 17 Apr 2026 09:00:00 -0400

Syracuse University recently presented a comprehensive preclinical program describing the rational design and optimization of peptide antagonists targeting the GDF15/GFRAL/RET receptor complex to mitigate nausea, emesis, anorexia and wasting associated with chemotherapy-induced stress signaling.

HHS budget hearing not so much about budget

Thu, 16 Apr 2026 12:00:00 -0400

U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert Kennedy made his first stop April 16 on a congressional tour in support of President Donald Trump’s proposed fiscal 2027 budget, which would reduce discretional spending for HHS and its agencies by about 12%.

Realta secures another $40M for its hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy treatment

Fri, 10 Apr 2026 12:00:00 -0400

Realta Life Sciences Inc. raised an additional $40 million in the final tranche of its series A investment, bringing the total the company has raised to more than $150 million through mission-driven investors and a family-office model.

AAD 2026: Targeted oral therapies challenge injected biologics

Mon, 30 Mar 2026 12:00:00 -0400

Data presented at the 2026 American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) meeting have put the spotlight on the arrival of target-selective oral therapies that are set to challenge injected biologics in terms of efficacy, while offering greater convenience and improving access to treatment.

Pinnacle raises an $89M series B for its oral peptide programs

Fri, 27 Mar 2026 09:00:00 -0400

Pinnacle Medicines Inc. secured $89 million in a series B financing, bringing the total raised by the company to $134 million. The round was co-led by LAV and Foresite Capital.

Pinnacle raises an $89M series B for its oral peptide programs

Thu, 26 Mar 2026 12:00:00 -0400

Pinnacle Medicines Inc. secured $89 million in a series B financing, bringing the total raised by the company to $134 million. The round was co-led by LAV and Foresite Capital.

Endocyclic’s ENDO-205 gains IND clearance for endometriosis

Tue, 24 Mar 2026 09:00:00 -0400

Endomet Biosciences Inc. (dba Endocyclic Therapeutics) has obtained IND clearance from the FDA for its lead program, ENDO-205, a first-in-class, nonhormonal targeted peptide therapeutic for endometriosis.

Kalohexis launches as spin-out from Endevica Bio

Fri, 20 Mar 2026 09:00:00 -0400

Kalohexis LLC has launched as a spin-out from Endevica Bio Inc. with the goal of advancing the clinical development of a portfolio of drug candidates harnessing the melanocortin system for the treatment of metabolic disorders such as obesity and cancer cachexia.

Group in Taiwan patents new peptides and lipid nanoparticles for cancer

Thu, 19 Mar 2026 09:00:00 -0400

Academia Sinica and National Cheng Kung University have divulged peptides and their lipid nanoparticles formed on encapsulation by 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DOPC), cholesterol and DSPE-PEG2K liposomes reported to be useful for the treatment of cancer.

Icotyde’s in; wave of switchers to oral psoriasis Protagonist?

Wed, 18 Mar 2026 12:00:00 -0400

Awaiting the potential U.S. FDA approval of a second product this year, Protagonist Therapeutics Inc. with partner Johnson & Johnson won the go-ahead for oral peptide Icotyde (icotrokinra), an IL-23 receptor antagonist, to treat moderate to severe plaque psoriasis in adults and pediatric patients 12 and older who weigh at least 40 kg and who are candidates for systemic therapy or phototherapy.

Structure’s oral GLP-1 data mark bullish year for obesity pills

Tue, 17 Mar 2026 12:00:00 -0400

The GLP-1 fight has moved from injectables to pills, and Structure Therapeutics Inc. is in the ring with phase III-ready aleniglipron. According to the Bay Area biotech, its oral once-daily glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) drug candidate, aleniglipron, demonstrated an absolute weight loss of “up to 39 pounds” in the 44-week Access II trial.

G2Gbio secures license deal, ₩20B investment from Samsung Epis

Tue, 17 Mar 2026 08:00:00 -0400

G2Gbio Inc. secured a ₩20 billion (US$13.35 million) investment from Samsung Epis Holdings Co. Ltd. and a joint research and license agreement for two assets, including a long-acting obesity treatment, with subsidiary Samsung Bioepis Co. Ltd. March 16.

G2Gbio secures license deal, ₩20B investment from Samsung Epis

Mon, 16 Mar 2026 17:00:00 -0400

Synthetic peptide and CAR-A each clear amyloid-β in Alzheimer’s

Tue, 10 Mar 2026 09:00:00 -0400

If one could sweep the brain clean and send the toxic substances that drive neurodegeneration to the recycling bin, perhaps one could treat Alzheimer’s disease. Researchers at the Chinese Academy of Sciences propose a new therapeutic strategy that uses synthetic peptides that bind to amyloid-β (Aβ) and direct it toward lysosomes. In addition, researchers at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have genetically modified astrocytes in vivo to express chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) that recognize and phagocytose Aβ plaques.

EB-203 improves diabetic retinopathy-like pathology in zebrafish

Mon, 09 Mar 2026 09:00:00 -0400

In a recent publication in Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy, investigators evaluated the activity of a 7-amino-acid peptide, EB-203, using a zebrafish model of diabetic retinopathy (DR)-like vascular alterations.

Synthetic peptide and CAR-A each clear amyloid-β in Alzheimer’s

Mon, 09 Mar 2026 09:00:00 -0400

If one could sweep the brain clean and send the toxic substances that drive neurodegeneration to the recycling bin, perhaps one could treat Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Researchers at the Chinese Academy of Sciences propose a new therapeutic strategy that uses synthetic peptides that bind to amyloid-β (Aβ) and direct it toward lysosomes. In addition, researchers at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have genetically modified astrocytes in vivo to express chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) that recognize and phagocytose Aβ plaques.

Zealand touts efficacy, safety for petrelintide phase II obesity trial

Fri, 06 Mar 2026 12:00:00 -0500

Investors looking for midteen percentage weight loss findings in Zealand Pharma A/S’s phase II study of once-weekly amylin analogue petrelintide were clearly disappointed by the actual 10.7% mean body weight reduction, as shares (Copenhagen:ZEAL) fell 36% March 6. But from the company’s standpoint, the combination of efficacy and safety data from the Zupreme-1 study bode well for a phase III trial expected to start later this year.