amylin

HANGZHOU, China I January 10, 2025 I Hangzhou Sciwind Biosciences Co., a pre-commercial biopharmaceutical company focusing on developing innovative therapies to treat metabolic diseases, today announced a licensing and collaboration agreement for the global development and commercialization of a portfolio of metabolic diseases therapies in territories outside of Greater China and South Korea, with Verdiva Bio Limited (“Verdiva”), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company specialized in developing innovative treatments for obesity and other cardiometabolic disorders. The partnered portfolio under this collaboration includes: Sciwind has granted Verdiva the exclusive global rights to develop, manufacture and commercialize the partnered programs outside of greater China and South Korea. Sciwind has retained the rights to develop，manufacture and commercialize these products in all other regions. Under the agreement, Sciwind receives an upfront consideration totaling approximately $70 million, and is eligible to receive more than $2.4 billion in milestone payments for development, regulatory approvals and commercialization of above-mentioned partnered programs,. Additionally, Sciwind is also eligible to receive tiered royalties on future product sales outside of greater China and South Korea. Furthermore, the two companies will collaborate on additional preclinical stage programs, and Sciwind is eligible to receive milestones and royalty payments based on the advancement of those programs. Verdiva Bio, led by industry experts and serial entrepreneurs, boasts a world-class drug development team with extensive experience in the global metabolic treatment sector. With this collaboration, Verdiva Bio plans to advance the development of innovative therapies through a series of clinical studies involving both monotherapy and combination treatments. This collaboration highlights the global commercialization potential of Sciwind’s innovative pipeline and lays a solid foundation for the worldwide development and potential commercialization of key products like Ecnoglutide. About Oral Ecnoglutide (XW004): Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) agonists are effective in treating type 2 diabetes and obesity and show potential in treating MASH as well as obesity-related complications. Ecnoglutide is a novel long-acting GLP-1 analog with cAMP bias, optimized for increased bioactivity and reduced production costs, enabling once-weekly dosing. Completed clinical studies have confirmed that Ecnoglutide has excellent therapeutic effects on patients with type 2 diabetes and obesity, and shows good safety and tolerability. Oral Ecnoglutide (XW004) is a potentially weekly-oral formulation of Ecnoglutide. About Amylin Receptor Agonists: Islet amyloid polypeptide (Amylin) plays an important role in blood sugar and energy homeostasis regulation by delaying gastric emptying, decreasing glucagon level and promoting satiety, thus preventing postprandial blood sugar levels from soaring and promoting weight loss. Long-acting amylin analogs activate both the native amylin and calcitonin receptors. About Sciwind Biosciences: Sciwind Biosciences is a pre-commercial biopharmaceutical company focusing on discovering and developing innovative therapies to treat metabolic diseases. Its product pipeline consists of potentially first-in-class and best-in-class drug candidates, including the long-acting GLP-1 peptide analog Ecnoglutide injection (NDA stage), oral GLP-1 peptide Ecnoglutide tablet XW004 (Phase I), and oral small molecule GLP-1 receptor agonist XW014 (Phase I). Sciwind Biosciences has developed multiple proprietary technologies, including oral peptide and inhaled protein therapeutic delivery platforms, and identified a series of drugs candidate based on these core platforms technology. For more information, please visit: www.sciwindbio.com . About Verdiva Bio: Verdiva Bio is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to developing next-generation therapies designed to help people living with obesity, cardiometabolic disorders, and related complications achieve better outcomes via more patient-friendly therapeutic options. For more information, please visit: www.verdivabio.com . SOURCE: Hangzhou Sciwind Biosciences Co.

Dive Brief:A year after negotiating a $1 billion sale to GSK, a group of former Aiolos Bio executives are starting a well-funded new drugmaker promising to deliver better obesity treatments.Verdiva Bio announced its launch Thursday alongside $411 million in Series A financing, the third-largest funding round since the beginning of 2022 among the top venture capital firms tracked by BioPharma Dive. Forbion and General Atlantic led the financing, with participation from RA Capital Management, OrbiMed, Logos Capital, Lilly Asia Ventures and LYFE Capital.Former Aiolos CEO Khurem Farooq will take the top post at Verdiva with a management team that includes Chief Scientific Officer Jane Hughes, Chief Business Officer Tapan Maniar and Chief Technology Officer Ashley Taylor, who all held the same posts at Aiolos. Mark Pruzanski, the former CEO of Versanis Bio and founder of Intercept Pharmaceuticals, was named chairman.Dive Insight:Verdiva joins a long list of obesity drug startups launched over the last year, including Metsera, Antag Therapeutics, SixPeaks Bio, Pep2Tango Therapeutics and Kailera Therapeutics, which emerged from stealth just months ago with a $400 million financing.All of the newcomers are eyeing the booming market for obesity drugs dominated by Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly. And theyre promising to offer better options in the form of pills or longer-lasting alternatives to the injectable medicines that are now raking in billions of dollars.The startups are not alone. Drugmakers large and small are racing to develop new obesity medicines, and both Novo and Lilly have successors in the works. Biopharma investment in metabolic treatments more than tripled between 2023 and 2024, according to data compiled by HSBCs Innovation Banking division.Verdiva says it has an experimental treatment in the same GLP-1 class as Novos Wegovy and Lillys Zepboundthat can be administered once a week and is ready for Phase 2 testing. Its also developing a once-weekly oral medicine known as an amylin agonist that could be used alone or in combination with a GLP-1 treatment, as well as a long-acting injectable amylin agonist.The new company is part of a growing trend in the industry, looking to China to pluck effective medicines to develop or build a company around. Verdiva licensed its portfolio from Chinas Sciwind Biosciences and has rights to the drugs outside greater China and South Korea.Kailera, Candid Therapeutics and Aiolos also built companies based on medicines acquired from Chinese drugmakers. And in the last year, Merck licensed from China experimental drugs for autoimmune disease, obesity and cancer. '

Verdiva aims to advance a portfolio of next-generation oral and injectable treatments with first-in-class or best-in-class potential. Credit: Nuthawut Somsuk via Getty Images. As the obesity drug market continues to expand, Verdiva Bio has officially launched as a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focusing on obesity and other cardiometabolic disorders. The company has secured $410m in an oversubscribed Series A funding round, co-led by Forbion and General Atlantic, with contributions from investors such as RA Capital Management, OrbiMed, Logos Capital, Lilly Asia Ventures, and LYFE Capital. The funding will advance Verdiva’s pipeline of next-generation oral and injectable therapies that aim to achieve first-in-class or best-in-class status. UK-based Verdiva’s portfolio comprises assets licensed from China-based Sciwind Biosciences, granting the company global rights outside Greater China and South Korea. This includes a Phase II-ready oral glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1RA) ecnoglutide, a potential first-in-class oral amylin agonist, and a long-acting subcutaneous amylin agonist. These therapies aim to target weight loss and maintenance, utilising proprietary oral delivery technology designed to enhance dosing convenience, scalability, and accessibility for broader patient populations. Khurem Farooq, previously CEO of Aiolos Bio and Gyroscope Therapeutics, has been appointed as Verdiva’s CEO, supported by a leadership team that includes senior executives from Aiolos Bio and Boehringer Ingelheim. In addition, Mark Pruzanski has been named chairman of the board. “Our most mature programme has the potential to be a first-in-class, once-weekly oral treatment for obesity and weight loss maintenance that could dramatically improve patient access and affordability,” said Farooq in the 8 January announcement. Verdiva has indicated plans to further expand its portfolio through additional in-licensing deals, signalling a broader ambition in the obesity and cardiometabolic space. The company’s approach reflects a growing trend of Western biotechs acquiring and advancing assets from Chinese pharmaceutical companies, with Verdiva joining other high-profile partnerships in the field. Chinese companies such as Sciwind Biosciences have become pivotal in the development of innovative obesity medications, with global entities such as MSD and AstraZeneca also striking deals to build their portfolios. The timing of Verdiva’s launch underscores the increasing demand for weight-loss treatments, driven by the success of Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy (semaglutide), and Eli Lilly’s Zepbound (tirzepatide). Wegovy is forecast to bring in $19.6bn in sales in 2030, with Zepbound estimated to make $27.6bn the same year, according to GlobalData’s Pharma Intelligence Center. GlobalData is the parent company of Pharmaceutical Technology.