News

Zealand Pharma A/S is partnering with the Roche Group to co-develop a candidate drug for obesity discovered by the Danish company with potential as both a monotherapy and in combination with other drugs. This includes in combination with an obesity asset owned by Roche. The drug is petrelintide, a long-acting amylin analogue which has delivered reductions in body weight of up to a mean 8.6% in early clinical studies. Amylin is a peptide hormone that restores sensitivity to leptin, a satiety hormone that enables people to feel naturally full after having eaten a meal.

A study from the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel has revealed an unexpected immune function of proteasomes, the cellular machinery primarily known for protein degradation. The research, published in Nature on 5 March, demonstrates that proteasomes play a direct role in innate immunity by generating antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) that combat bacterial infections. This discovery not only deepens our understanding of cellular defence mechanisms but also opens new avenues for addressing antibiotic resistance.

The US Food and Drug Administration has approved a new allogeneic encapsulated, cell-based gene therapy for a rare neurodegenerative disease that affects the macula, a portion of the eye that processes central vision. The product, Encelto (revakinagene taroretcel) is a therapy that delivers a recombinant protein to the retina to slow down the progression of the disease. Delivery is by way of a surgical intravitreal implant by an ophthalmologist.

A UK biotech launched in 2023 to use protein degradation technology to develop new drugs for neurodegenerative diseases has raised $31 million in seed funding from a selection of UK and US investors. The company, TRIMTECH Therapeutics Ltd, has a pipeline of small molecule candidate therapies for disorders including Alzheimer’s and Huntington’s diseases. The drugs are intended to target the body’s ubiquitin-proteasome system to mark proteins for degradation. The proteins are toxic aggregates associated with a range of neurodegenerative and inflammatory disorders.

UK-based Centauri Therapeutics Ltd has selected a lead compound for clinical development capping a decade of research into potential agents for treating serious bacterial infections. The compound, as yet unnamed, has been designed to target Gram-negative infections in the lung. Infections from Gram-negative bacteria are typically difficult to treat because the bacteria are surrounded by a cell wall in addition to an outer membrane containing a complex molecule known as a lipopolysaccharide. By comparison, Gram-positive bacteria do not have this outer membrane.

An Israeli medical device company has been sold to Boston Scientific Corp of the US concurrent with the start of a pivotal trial intended to confirm the effectiveness of its lead product for hypertension. SoniVie Ltd has developed an intravascular device for renal denervation procedures. These procedures reduce activity in the renal nerves in the kidneys in order to help lower blood pressure. France-based Andera Partners has been a venture investor in the company since 2023. Separately, Boston Scientific has been a minority shareholder.

A new gene therapy has been given a positive opinion by the European Medicines Agency for the treatment of dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa (DEB), a rare skin disease. The therapy, Vyjuvek (beremagene geperpavec), has been cleared for the treatment of the disease in patients of all ages.

A new small molecule combination treatment for cystic fibrosis has been given a positive opinion by the European Medicines Agency – expanding the repertoire of protein modulators for treating this disease. The combination, Kaftrio (ivacaftor/tezacaftor/elexacaftor) and Kalydeco (ivacaftor), was developed by Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc. It modulates the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) protein which is produced by a gene of the same name.

AMYRA Biotech AG, a Basel, Switzerland-based company working in digestive health innovation, has published a peer-reviewed literature review in Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics supporting a novel approach to enzyme therapy for coeliac disease. The study underscores the critical role of the intestinal brush border membrane (BBM) in protein digestion and explores the potential benefits of supplementing exopeptidase activity in affected patients.

A new gene therapy for cystic fibrosis has entered clinical development in the UK with the aim of improving outcomes for people with cystic fibrosis regardless of their gene mutation. The trial specifically focuses on adults with cystic fibrosis who cannot benefit from the current modulators of the membrane protein – cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR).