GLP-1 drugs currently available for weight loss are administered as once-weekly injections. Verdiva Bio also aims to bring to patients once-a-week dosing, but in a more convenient pill. That would also give the startup’s drug a dosing edge over many of the potential next-generation metabolic medications in development as once-daily pills. On Thursday, the startup revealed $411 million to support its plans.
The Verdiva drug, VRB-101, is part of a portfolio of experimental medicines acquired from China-based Sciwind Biosciences last year. Verdiva, which is based in London and has additional operations in San Francisco, holds global rights to these drugs outside of greater China and South Korea. According to Verdiva, these drugs are made with a proprietary oral delivery technology designed to enable oral dosing.
Verdiva said a Phase 1 study conducted in Australia confirmed the viability of once-weekly dosing of VRB-101. No weight-loss figures were disclosed for this clinical trial. The company said this program is now ready to enter Phase 2 testing.
“Our most mature program 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,” Verdiva co-founder and CEO Khurem Farooq said in a prepared statement.
The Verdiva pipeline also includes a once-weekly oral drug designed to target and activate amylin. The company said this drug could be used as a monotherapy or in combination with an oral GLP-1 agonist. The third program is a subcutaneously injected amylin agonist designed to be long-acting. Verdiva said this drug could be also be used as a monotherapy or in combination with a proprietary GLP-1 peptide drug.
Other companies are also developing amylin-targeting drugs. Novo Nordisk’s amycretin targets both amylin and GLP-1. Viking Therapeutics, whose pipeline includes both injectable and oral agonists of GLP-1, has another program that targets the amylin and calcitonin receptors.
Verdiva’s Series A round was co-led by Forbion and General Atlantic. Other participants in the financing include RA Capital Management, OrbiMed, Logos Capital, Lilly Asia Ventures, and LYFE Capital.
Photo: Peter Dazeley, Getty Images
