Zealand Pharma A/S is partnering with the Roche Group to co-develop a candidate drug for obesity discovered by the Danish company with potential as both a monotherapy and in combination with other drugs. This includes in combination with an obesity asset owned by Roche. The drug is petrelintide, a long-acting amylin analogue which has delivered reductions in body weight of up to a mean 8.6% in early clinical studies. Amylin is a peptide hormone that restores sensitivity to leptin, a satiety hormone that enables people to feel naturally full after having eaten a meal.
The deal covers both the co-development and co-commercialisation of petrelintide as a standalone therapy and as a fixed-dose combination with CT-388, the Roche asset. This sits alongside a profit sharing agreement covering the commercialisation of petrelintide and the petrelintide/CT-388 combination. Altogether, the deal has a value of up to $5.3 billion.
Roche added CT-388 to its portfolio in 2023 when it acquired the US company Carmot Therapeutics Inc. CT-388 is a dual glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) and glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) receptor agonist (GLP-1/GIP). It is currently in Phase 2b studies. Data from an earlier Phase 1b study of the drug showed that it achieved a mean placebo-adjusted weight loss of 18.8%.
The two companies describe petrelintide as a foundational medicine. On its own, the drug has shown a capacity to both to preserve muscle mass and reduce body weight. It is also viewed by the Danish company as a new tool for people who cannot tolerate glucagon-like peptide (GLP-1) medicines, the currently marketed weight-loss drugs.
“We strongly believe that petrelintide holds potential as a foundational therapy for weight management, addressing unmet medical needs among the majority of people living with overweight and obesity, both as a stand-alone therapy and in combination with other agents,” Zealand Pharma’s Chief Executive Adam Steensberg said in a statement on 12 March.
Under the agreement, Zealand will receive an upfront cash payment of $1.65 billion consisting of $1.4 billion to be paid at the deal’s close and $250 million over two years. This could then be followed by payments of $1.2 billion primarily linked to the start of Phase 3 trials of a petrelintide monotherapy and sales-based milestones of $2.4 billion. Profits and losses for petrelintide and a petrelintide/CT-388 fixed-dose combination in the US and Europe will be shared equally between the two companies.
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