AbbVie is paying $350 million to join the obesity race. The outlay, plus up to $1.87 billion in milestones, has landed the drugmaker rights to a long-acting amylin analog that is in phase 1 development at Gubra.
As a major player in the medical aesthetics market, AbbVie has identified the weight-loss drug boom as a near-term headwind. GLP-1 drugs are taking up a bigger share of spending on medical aesthetics, putting pressure on some of the company’s products. Yet, AbbVie stayed on the sidelines as a who’s who of top drug developers began ramping up challenges to the market incumbents Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk.
That changed Monday. AbbVie is joining the obesity field through a deal with Gubra, a Danish preclinical service provider and peptide-based drug discovery specialist. Gubra’s skillset has secured the company deals with drug developers such as Boehringer Ingelheim and spawned GUB014295, AbbVie’s new asset.
Also known as GUBamy, GUB014295 is a once-weekly subcutaneous amylin analog. Gubra provided early evidence of the promise of the molecule in November. Healthy lean and overweight male subjects who received one high dose of the drug candidate lost around 3% of their body weight in six weeks. Patients on placebo gained around 1% body weight.
Gubra is now running a multiple-ascending dose study. In the first part of the trial, people will receive (PDF) weekly doses for six weeks. Gubra expects to have interim results in April. The second part of the trial will give GUB014295 to people with overweight or obesity for 12 weeks, titrating up to higher doses.
Amylin, a satiety hormone, has attracted the interest of multiple drug developers. Novo’s amycretin acts on both GLP-1, the cornerstone of obesity treatment today, and amylin receptors. People who received weekly amycretin injections for 36 weeks lost 22% of their body weight. Patients on the higher doses of Zealand Pharma’s petrelintide lost around 8.5% of their body weight after 16 weeks.
Zealand is pitching petrelintide as a molecule that can provide GLP-1-like efficacy without some of the side effects, all while preserving lean muscle. The gastrointestinal tolerability of GLP-1 drugs leaves ample room for improvement. Gubra said “the vast majority” of adverse events in its phase 1 trial were “mild and transient” but nausea was “frequent.” AbbVie will now lead development of GUB014295.
Carrie Strom, president, global Allergan aesthetics at AbbVie, discussed the obesity market on the drug developer’s earnings call in January. Strom said the rise of obesity drugs is “a headwind in terms of share of wallet,” particularly for higher-priced products such as fillers. AbbVie also sees a longer-term tailwind. Some patients receive GLP-1s through the same aesthetics providers that administer AbbVie’s products.