Danish Biotechnology Zealand Pharma targets ‘subsequent era’ of weight-loss medicine as rivals pile up in heavyweight-dominated market New Nordisk and Eli Lilly.
CEO Adam Steenberg advised CNBC on Thursday that early-stage trials of the experimental weight problems injection present a better high quality of weight reduction — with lowered muscle loss and fewer negative effects — than conventional GLP- 1. The corporate is now in search of a worldwide pharmaceutical firm to accomplice with, he added.
“Our focus is de facto what’s wanted in 2030, and it is actually about figuring out, you may say, next-generation molecules that are not based mostly on GLP-1s,” Steensberg stated.
Final month, Zealand Pharma introduced a constructive top class results from a part 1b trial of its weight reduction drug, a twin GLP-1/GLP-2 receptor agonist known as Dapiglutide. That places the corporate head-to-head with main weight problems gamers Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly, whose GLP-1s Wegovy and Zepbound respectively have exploded in popularity for his or her weight reduction results.
Nevertheless, Steensberg stated it is the corporate’s stand-alone weight problems drug candidate, Petrelintide, a long-acting amylin analog, that might set it other than the competitors, providing an alternate for customers who cannot tolerate GLP-1.
“That is what we name our crown jewel. That is the one we’ve got the very best expectations for,” Steensberg stated.
“We really feel very strongly that this might turn out to be a mainstream remedy sooner or later – one thing that gives the load loss that sufferers are in search of, however with the potential for a greater tolerability profile,” he added.
Zealand Pharma.
Amylin analogs are an rising type of weight reduction remedy. They work by mimicking a hormone that’s co-secreted with insulin within the pancreas to extend satiety. This differs from GLP-1 agonists, which mimic incretin hormones produced within the intestine to suppress urge for food and regulate blood sugar.
“These are two very completely different human experiences,” Steensberg stated, evaluating GLP-1s to amylin analogs. “If you happen to work on satiety, it is going to be a extra nice expertise. So when you get into it, you’ll be able to keep for the lengthy haul [on the] remedy.”
Novo Nordisk can be experimenting with its personal model of the remedy, combining the GLP-1 element Semaglutide with the amylin analog Cagrilintide in a candidate known as CagriSema.
In June, Zealand Pharma additionally introduced positive results from a part 1b research of Petrelintide, which confirmed {that a} course of 16 weekly injections lowered physique weight by as much as 8.6% on common.
On the time, the corporate stated the findings confirmed “strong help” for the drug’s potential as a substitute for GLP-1s. After the biotech agency’s first-half leads to August, Steensberg upped the ante, saying amylin analogs have the potential to turn out to be “the long run mainstream remedy for weight administration.”
“If we are able to develop a molecule that provides sufferers the load loss they’re in search of with an excellent tolerability profile and we are able to additionally present a discount in danger with regards to cardiovascular well being, I feel we’ve got each motive to we consider it could possibly turn out to be a first-line remedy,” Steinsberg advised CNBC in an interview Thursday.
On the lookout for a worldwide pharmaceutical accomplice
Zealand Pharma, which was based virtually three many years in the past with a concentrate on peptide-based medicine, has been using a rising wave in current months because it ventured additional into weight problems therapies. To date this yr, its share value is up greater than 110%.
Nevertheless, competitors within the sector is fierce, with Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly nonetheless dominating the market, as their so-called miracle cures have gotten important to shoppers worldwide.
A number of drug regulators, together with c USA and European Unionhave now expanded the labels of GLP-1 medicine to be used within the remedy of obesity-related comorbidities and different illnesses. It comes as issues stay about different potential negative effects of the medicine, equivalent to muscle losing and suicidal ideas, and American authorities oppose the excessive price of remedy.
Syringes of slimming medicine “Wegovy”, “Ozempic” and “Mounjaro”.
Image Alliance | Getty Photographs
Nevertheless, urge for food for the therapies continues to develop, with analysts estimating the sector may very well be price as much as $200 billion by 2030.
Emily Area, head of European pharmaceutical analysis at Barclays, stated the weight-loss market was more likely to turn out to be extra “fragmented” over time as pharmaceutical firms focused completely different segments, noting that therapies to counteract muscle loss could be a good approach to “differentiate”.
Nevertheless, she famous that an organization of Zealand Pharma’s dimension and scope would wrestle to do that by itself.
“It isn’t one thing that Zealand may even consider producing themselves. Lots of people who owned it nonetheless personal it, however they’re questioning if it may be purchased or not,” Area stated by cellphone.
Steensberg on Thursday dismissed rising hypothesis a few takeover, saying it was “positively not a part of our plans”. However he famous that even with the substantial $1 billion capital increase earlier this yr the corporate will want a accomplice.
“We have now a transparent ambition to proceed into the following part of our life as a partnership firm,” stated Steensberg. “We have now to have one thing to supply and I feel it is a very enticing alternative to accomplice with Zeeland proper now for an enormous pharmaceutical firm.”
He added that partnership discussions are ongoing and can seemingly proceed into the primary half of subsequent yr.
Petrelintide and Dapiglutide will now enter part 2 trials in obese and overweight sufferers in late 2024 and the primary half of 2025, respectively.
