Efinopegdutide

The BIOSECURE Act has impacted China's contract manufacturing, leading to asset sales by companies like WuXi AppTec and WuXi Biologics. Merck & Co. licensed a drug from Hansoh Pharma, and Roche partnered with Innovent Biologics for ADC development. Samsung Life Science Fund invested in Generate Biomedicines for AI-driven drug development.

Merck & Co. has secured a second GLP-1 candidate, HS-10535, from China's Hansoh Pharma for $112 million upfront, with potential milestone payments up to $1.9 billion. This move complements Merck's existing GLP-1/glucagon receptor co-agonist, efinopegdutide, aiming to expand its cardiometabolic benefits beyond weight reduction. Merck's strategy reflects a growing interest in GLP-1s for their potential in addressing metabolic syndrome and related diseases.

Semaglutide and GLP-1 drugs, including those by Novo Nordisk® and Eli Lilly™, are being investigated for applications in heart disease, Alzheimer’s, liver disease, and more, with expected revenues to exceed $100 billion annually. These drugs, initially for diabetes and weight loss, have shown efficacy in reducing cardiovascular risks, treating sleep apnea, knee pain, and potentially Alzheimer’s and dementia. Lexaria Bioscience Corp. is researching its DehydraTECH technology to enhance drug delivery, aiming to capitalize on this significant pharmaceutical development.

DelveInsight's report on Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis (NASH) provides insights into historical and forecasted epidemiology, market trends, current treatment practices, emerging drugs, and market size from 2019 to 2032 in the United States, EU5, and Japan. Key companies and therapies in the NASH market are highlighted, including recent developments like Aligos Therapeutics' Phase 1 data presentation.

Incretin-modulating therapies, including Wegovy and Zepbound, are transforming obesity treatment, impacting vital organs and offering a holistic approach to metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH). Despite early challenges, therapies like Novo Nordisk's semaglutide show promise in MASH Phase III trials. Dual agonism approaches, such as Zepbound and Boehringer Ingelheim's survodutide, demonstrate significant fibrosis improvement in Phase IIb results. Distinctions in receptor agonism effectiveness for MASH treatment are noted, with GLP-1/glucagon receptor agonists potentially more effective. Multiple companies, including Eli Lilly and Altimmune, are advancing their MASH therapies, with Phase III trials planned for 2024. The competitive MASH treatment pipeline emphasizes diverse mechanisms of action, with incretin-modulating treatments expected to be pivotal in future MASH management.

GLP-1, a peptide hormone, plays a crucial role in lipid metabolism, influencing fat synthesis, differentiation, and cholesterol metabolism. It's linked to metabolic diseases like obesity and NAFLD, offering potential therapeutic targets. GLP-1 and dual agonists show promise in treating these conditions by modulating lipid metabolism pathways.