This isn’t funding recommendation. The writer has no place in any of the shares talked about. Wccftech.com has a disclosure and ethics coverage.
There’s a purpose why biotech is taken into account a really risky sector. In spite of everything, fortunes are made and destroyed inside a number of seconds on this sphere, dictated by the result of medical trials for experimental therapies. Happily, over the previous few days, we have obtained some very encouraging information on two unrelated however equally vital vectors for enhancing the general high quality of human life: a brand new gene remedy that has the potential to considerably prolong the human lifespan and a brand new oral GLP-1 weight reduction drug candidate from Viking Therapeutics (NASDAQ: VKTX).
Viking Therapeutics’ Oral GLP-1 Weight Loss Drug Is Out To Give Eli Lilly and Firm and Novo Nordisk a Run for Their Cash
GLP-1 medication can induce vital weight reduction by suppressing starvation and regulating the manufacturing of insulin and glucose. Novo Nordisk makes use of Semaglutide as its proprietary GLP-1 agonist in medication which might be marketed underneath Ozempic and Wegovy labels, with the previous geared towards type-2 diabetes and the latter marketed as a therapy for weight problems. Equally, Eli Lilly and Firm at the moment affords Tirzepatide as one among its proprietary medication to fight diabetes and weight problems, leveraging each GLP-1 and Glucose-dependent Insulinotropic Polypeptide (GIP) agonists to supply higher efficacy. Eli Lilly markets Tirzepatide underneath the Mounjaro and Zepbound labels, with the previous geared towards diabetes and the latter billed as a therapy for weight problems.
Whereas the mainstream GLP-1 choices from each Eli Lilly and Firm and Novo Nordisk are at the moment administered solely in an injectable type, a viable orally administered drug stays a holy grail of types for the trade.
1/ General, fairly good information for $VKTX.
Placebo adj. -13.1% at excessive dose place it higher than retatrutide.
Truthfully, at this level, do you actually need glucagon as a part of the MOA? https://t.co/Bzcixx7g4n pic.twitter.com/vIK0L9fMJI
— Jing Liang 🇺🇦 (@AppleHelix) February 27, 2024
It’s right here that Viking Therapeutics has made a big splash. As per the outcomes of a part 2 trial, the corporate’s proprietary drug – a twin agonist that leverages each GLP-1 and GIP receptors and is at the moment known as VK2735 – was in a position to induce a median weight lack of 14.7 p.c of the physique weight after simply 13 weeks of therapy. Critically, VK2735 managed to exhibit statistically vital outperformance relative to the placebo.
Shares of each $LLY and $NVO fell in premarket buying and selling.
— notreload (@thudderwicks) February 27, 2024
Eli Lilly and Firm’s Retatutide providing has been creating loads of buzz out there these days. The drug targets three totally different hunger-regulating hormones to supply higher efficacy: GLP-1, GIP, and Glucagon. But, Viking Therapeutics’ VK2735 providing has been in a position to higher outperform its trial placebo, resulting in the inventory’s rip-roaring positive factors. To wit, whereas the shares of each Eli Lilly and Firm and Novo Nordisk have declined as we speak, these of Viking Therapeutics are at the moment up 81 p.c in early buying and selling!
After all, Novo Nordisk can be working by itself oral GLP-1 providing known as CagriSema, which induces a median lack of round 15.6 p.c of physique weight at 32 weeks of uninterrupted administration, as per the outcomes of a part 2 trial. Equally, Eli Lilly and Firm’s oral GLP-1 providing, Orforglipron, is about to endure part three trials in 2025. As per the outcomes of Orforglipron’s part two trial information, research contributors had been in a position to obtain a median weight lack of between 8.6 p.c and 12.6 p.c at 26 weeks of therapy.
$LLY and $NVO Rival, Denmark’s Zealand Pharma $ZEAL, jumped over 35% on Monday on promising liver illness drug outcomes, examined for weight reduction.
Within the Part 2 trial of the ‘survodutide’ drug, 83% of adults skilled constructive outcomes for a sort of liver irritation known as… https://t.co/uwJxMvF9OL pic.twitter.com/diyhXI4Bgk
— Wall St Engine (@wallstengine) February 26, 2024
Then we now have non-GLP-1 weight reduction medication, equivalent to Zealand’s Amylin, which works solely by rising the sensation of satiation to cut back the general consumption of meals, thereby inducing weight reduction. As per its early-stage trials, Amylin can induce a quantum of weight reduction that matches these produced by GLP-1 choices, however with considerably decreased unintended effects of vomiting, nausea, and constipation. Zealand’s GLP-1/Glucagon twin agonist, known as Survodutide, not too long ago exhibited a big amelioratory affect on tackling the fatty liver illness, MASH.
Goldman Sachs says weight problems medication may enhance U.S. GDP by 1% attributable to effectivity positive factors from decrease weight problems charges.
With weight problems impacting over 40% within the U.S., decreasing charges by way of GLP-1s, which may see 10-70M customers by 2028, may considerably improve productiveness and GDP.
“Overweight… pic.twitter.com/SuqfqACjpD
— Wall St Engine (@wallstengine) February 22, 2024
In accordance with Goldman Sachs, anti-obesity medication may enhance the GDP of the US by 1 p.c because of effectivity positive factors from decrease weight problems. The Wall Avenue behemoth estimates that between 10 million and 70 million individuals within the US will likely be utilizing GLP-1 medication by 2028.
A New Gene Remedy to Prolong Human Lifespan?
Whereas developments on the GLP-1 entrance are encouraging, one other research has way more profound implications for enhancing the general high quality of life.
Gene Remedy-Mediated Partial Reprogramming Extends Lifespan and Reverses Age-Associated Modifications in Aged Mice
Think about if mouse longevity interprets to human?? Think about the implications – we have to discover a higher method to take a look at this hypothesishttps://t.co/w0hT7Jhd6e pic.twitter.com/7LqhWY5mia
— BowTiedBiotech 🧪🔬🧬 (@BowTiedBiotech) February 27, 2024
To wit, researchers led by Carolina Cano Macip not too long ago encoded an OSK system – which stimulates axon regeneration – inside “adeno-associated viruses.” These viruses had been then delivered to 124-week-old male mice, extending their “median remaining lifespan by 109%.” This therapy additionally improved a variety of well being parameters.
Whereas this therapy has not been examined on people, researchers famous “vital epigenetic markers of age reversal” in human keratinocytes, that are essentially the most dominant cell kind within the dermis.
