Altimmune Shares Pemvidutide Cardioinflammatory Lipid Data at ADA 84th Annual Sessions

June 22, 2024 -- Altimmune, Inc. (Nasdaq: ALT), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, presented promising data on pemvidutide at the American Diabetes Association’s (ADA) 84th Scientific Sessions. Pemvidutide, a GLP-1/glucagon dual receptor agonist being developed for obesity and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH), demonstrated a significant impact on cardioinflammatory lipids.

"Dyslipidemia is a major co-morbidity of obesity, affecting up to 70% of obese patients," stated Vipin K. Garg, Ph.D., President and CEO of Altimmune. "These findings enhance the profile of pemvidutide and underscore its potential to mitigate inflammatory lipids that contribute to cardiovascular plaque and disease risk in obese individuals."

Lipid profile imbalances in obesity can lead to systemic inflammation and heightened cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. To assess pemvidutide’s potential impact on lipoprotein and glycoprotein biomarkers of CVD inflammation, Altimmune analyzed samples from a 12-week, randomized placebo-controlled Phase 1 study. This study involved subjects who were overweight or obese but did not have type 2 diabetes. Thirty-four participants were randomly assigned to receive either placebo or pemvidutide in doses of 1.2 mg, 1.8 mg, or 2.4 mg, administered subcutaneously once a week for 12 weeks. Advanced techniques such as ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry and proton nuclear magnetic resonance were used to profile lipids and glycoproteins in plasma samples taken at baseline and after 12 weeks of treatment.

Results showed that serum lipids, including total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and triglycerides, decreased by 28%, 26%, and 38% respectively. Notably, these lipid reductions were independent of weight loss, suggesting that pemvidutide directly influenced lipid metabolism. Further analysis revealed that pemvidutide significantly reduced small dense LDL-C, highly saturated short-chain diglycerides, lysophosphatidylinositols, lysophosphatidylcholines, and sphingolipids, all of which are strongly associated with CVD. Additionally, reductions in GlycA and GlycB, biomarkers correlated with systemic inflammation and heart failure, were observed. Besides weight and lipid reductions, pemvidutide treatment also led to decreases in both systolic and diastolic blood pressure across all dose groups, indicating potential pleiotropic effects that could lower CVD risk.

Pemvidutide is a cutting-edge, investigational peptide-based therapy targeting GLP-1 and glucagon receptors, designed for treating obesity and MASH. The activation of these receptors is thought to replicate the combined effects of diet and exercise on weight reduction, with GLP-1 curbing appetite and glucagon boosting energy expenditure. Glucagon is also known to directly influence liver fat metabolism, potentially leading to rapid declines in liver fat and serum lipids. Clinical trials have shown that once-weekly pemvidutide induces significant weight loss and notable reductions in triglycerides, LDL cholesterol, liver fat content, and blood pressure. The U.S. FDA has granted pemvidutide Fast Track designation for MASH treatment. Pemvidutide recently concluded the MOMENTUM Phase 2 obesity trial and is currently under investigation in the ongoing IMPACT Phase 2b MASH trial.

Altimmune is dedicated to developing novel peptide-based therapeutics, with a focus on advancing treatments like pemvidutide for obesity and MASH.