Top of the morning to you, and a fine one it is, despite the gray skies hovering over the Pharmalot campus. We are doing our best to maintain sunny spirits, though, because once again, we recall some helpful wisdom from the Morning Mayor, who taught us that “Every new day should be unwrapped like a precious gift.” To celebrate the notion, we are brewing still more cups of stimulation and inviting you to join us. Our choice today is blueberry cobbler. Meanwhile, here are a few items of interest. Hope you have a meaningful and productive day and, of course, do stay in touch. …
Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals disclosed that its gene-silencing candidates helped people with obesity lose fat, very early results that could intensify the competition among biotechs to develop longer-lasting weight loss drugs, STAT tells us. In an ongoing Phase 1/2 study, patients took two doses of ARO-INHBE, spaced one month apart, in combination with Eli Lilly’s Zepbound. They lost 9.4% of their weight after 16 weeks, while those on Zepbound alone lost 4.8%. These data were from patients with obesity and diabetes, who typically don’t lose as much weight on treatments as those who don’t have diabetes. Participants on the combination lost 23% of visceral fat, as well as 15% of their total fat and 77% of their liver fat. Meanwhile, those taking Zepbound alone lost 7%, 5%, and 20%, respectively. While the drug was effective in combination with Zepbound, it is not clear if it can be a viable product on its own. Obese patients taking only two doses of ARO-INHBE experienced a 16% placebo-adjusted reduction in visceral fat, but that has not yet translated into significant overall weight loss.
Alumis reported that its experimental drug to treat a common skin disease met the main goal in two late-stage studies, offering hope for a new oral treatment option that affects millions of Americans, Reuters writes. The drug, envudeucitinib, is being developed to treat moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis, a chronic condition that causes red, scaly patches on the skin. Over 8 million people in the U.S. have psoriasis, according to the National Psoriasis Foundation. In the trials, about 65% of patients saw their skin symptoms improve by 90% or more after 24 weeks of treatment. More than 40% of patients saw their symptoms clear up completely. The drug also worked better than a placebo and outperformed Amgen’s oral drug Otezla. Envudeucitinib works by blocking TYK2, a protein that helps trigger immune signals linked to inflammation. This reduces the overactive immune response that causes psoriasis.Continue to STAT+ to read the full story…