Metsera promotes long-acting GLP-1 drug; Novartis inks AI deal

Metsera, a startup focusing on obesity treatments, has unveiled its initial clinical data since its foundation in April with $290 million in venture funding. The data, derived from a Phase 1 trial of their drug MET-097, indicate promising outcomes. Unlike Novo Nordisk's injectable GLP-1 therapies such as Wegovy, MET-097 is designed for longer-lasting effectiveness. In the trial, the highest dose administered weekly resulted in a 7.5% weight reduction over 36 days. According to Metsera’s Chief Medical Officer, Steve Marso, these results are comparable to or potentially better than existing and investigational anti-obesity drugs. The findings support the potential for once-monthly dosing, with mid-stage trials set to begin in the fourth quarter and results anticipated next year.

Wave Life Sciences has reported encouraging data from its experimental Duchenne muscular dystrophy drug. According to the company, the therapy increased dystrophin production—an essential protein lacking in patients—by an average of 5.5% to 9% after 24 weeks, depending on the analytic method used. These results are seen as competitive with existing treatments from Sarepta Therapeutics and NS Pharma. Mizuho Securities analyst Salim Syed noted that the data exceeded the benchmark for efficacy. Wave Life Sciences plans to discuss accelerated approval with regulatory authorities and will share the results of these discussions and final trial data next year. Following the announcement, the company's shares rose approximately 20%.

In related news, Capricor Therapeutics' stock surged by about 40% after the company revealed its intention to seek U.S. approval for a drug aimed at treating Duchenne patients with cardiomyopathy. The application will be based on existing study results and historical data, with plans to file by the end of the year. Additionally, Capricor is expanding a current Phase 3 study to potentially gain approval for treating patients with skeletal muscle myopathy.

Novartis has entered into a partnership with Generate Biomedicines, a biotech startup incubated by Flagship Pioneering. In this collaboration, Novartis will pay Generate Biomedicines $65 million upfront to discover and develop protein-based drugs for various diseases. The alliance will leverage Generate's machine learning platform to accelerate drug discovery. The deal includes Novartis purchasing $15 million in Generate equity upfront, with potential performance-based payments that could total up to $1 billion, along with royalties.

Sanofi has announced a strategic investment of $27 million in Ventyx Biosciences. This agreement grants Sanofi an exclusive option to negotiate for the rights to one of Ventyx’s drug candidates. The investment gives Sanofi nearly 71,000 preferred Ventyx shares, each convertible into 100 shares of common stock, and priority access to an experimental drug that Ventyx is testing for Parkinson’s disease and obesity. The drug targets NLRP3, a protein complex that has garnered interest for its potential in treating various conditions.