Fractyl Health Inc. has expanded an academic-industry scientific partnership focused on advancing research on the role of the gut and pancreas in metabolic disease.
Orsobio Inc., already in the clinic with three candidates, has completed its $60 million series A financing. The company, CEO Mani Subramanian told BioWorld, has taken its time to find the right programs, put them together and only raised capital when it saw the programs had legs. Even the series A is a measured step, as Subramanian called the financing “modest.”
Biolexis Therapeutics Inc. has reported the launch of Metabolexis, a new pipeline company developing three targeted oral small molecules for the treatment of obesity and type 2 diabetes.
The glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor (GLP-1R) agonists semaglutide and liraglutide are used for type 2 diabetes and have proven clinically successful in regulating blood glucose levels, but adverse drug reactions (ADRs) have ranged from nausea and diarrhea to pancreatitis.
An artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm using voice technology developed by Klick Inc. could be a game changer for diagnosis of type 2 diabetes, helping to identify the 50% of individuals who unknowingly have the disease. The technology uses a six- to 10-second voice clip spoken into a smartphone plus basic health data to detect diabetes in close to nine out of 10 individuals, a study published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings: Digital Health found.
Huadong Medicine Co. Ltd. recently detailed the discovery and preclinical characterization of a potent and selective small-molecule glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor (GLP-1R) agonist, HDM-1002, under investigation for the treatment of type 2 diabetes and obesity.
M-43 is a recombinant analogue of fibroblast growth factor-1 (FGF-1) that has been previously shown to bind the insulin receptor (InsR), activate insulin-like cellular signaling and reduce insulin resistance. Researchers from Celon Pharma SP have recently presented results on the efficacy of the candidate as assessed in Zucker diabetic fatty (ZDF) rats.
Novo Nordisk A/S’ semaglutide is making headlines again this week, with a phase IIIb testing the ubiquitous GLP-1 agonist on kidney outcomes halted early for efficacy. The independent data monitoring committee for the trial, dubbed Flow, concluded results from an interim analysis met prespecified efficacy criteria. Final data will read out in the first half of 2024.
The FDA has cleared IND applications for UBT-251 injection, a long-acting triple-targeted glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1)/glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP)/glucagon receptor agonist developed by The United Bio-Technology (Hengqin) Co. Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of The United Laboratories International Holdings Ltd., for adult type 2 diabetes and for overweight or obese subjects.
Safety concerns overrode benefit when the U.S. FDA’s Endocrinologic and Metabolic Drugs Advisory Committee (EMDAC) voted unanimously, 19-0, Sept. 21 that the potential risks of Intarcia Therapeutics’ ITCA-650 outweighed the compliance and A1C-lowering benefits the twice-yearly implantable exenatide-device combination product could provide for adults with type 2 diabetes.
