Tides Weekly | Global Peptide and Oligonucleotide Therapeutics News Roundup

Recently, Argo Biopharma (hereinafter referred to as "Argo") announced that BW-01, the first cardiovascular siRNA drug independently developed using the company's siRNA platform technology RADS, has completed Phase 1 clinical trials in Australia and China in January this year, with positive results achieved.。

About Argo

Argo, founded in 2021, is a clinical-stage biotechnology company dedicated to developing a new generation of siRNA drugs to provide better treatment options for patients worldwide. In the past three years, Argo has built a rich and differentiated pipeline of siRNA drug candidates, covering a wide range of indications. It is reported that currently, five siRNA drugs from Argo have entered Phase 1 clinical trials.

On January 29, 2024, Weierzhen Biotechnology (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Weierzhen" or "Visirna") announced that its investigational small nucleic acid innovative drug, VSA003 Injection (hereinafter referred to as VSA003), has been included in the list of breakthrough therapy drugs by the Center for Drug Evaluation (CDE) of the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA). The drug is intended for the treatment of homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (HoFH).

About Visirna

Visirna is a small nucleic acid drug therapy company based in China with a global outlook, aiming to build a biopharmaceutical enterprise with comprehensive capabilities in research and development, production, and commercialization. The company was founded in 2022 and has established a long-term strategic partnership with Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: ARWR), a world-leading small nucleic acid drug company. Currently, the company’s product pipeline includes three small nucleic acid drugs in clinical development targeting cardiovascular and metabolic diseases.

On January 30, 2024, Oralead Pharma Ltd. announced the completion of a multi-million yuan Pre-A round of financing, jointly invested by Hony Capital, BoRui Biomedical (Suzhou) Co., Ltd., a STAR Market listed company, and Bangqin Capital. The funds from this round will mainly be used to advance the core pipeline of oral GLP-1 formulations and accelerate the construction of an oral delivery technology platform for biologics.

About Oralead Pharma Ltd.

Oralead Pharma Ltd. was founded in August 2022. The founding team comes from University College London, a top global university, focusing on the research of oral delivery technology and industrial processes for biopharmaceuticals. They have deep expertise and technological accumulation in internationally leading oral delivery technology for macromolecular drugs, as well as in gastrointestinal physiology and drug absorption kinetics. They have also been deeply involved in the progression of global oral biopharmaceutical delivery technology from research to industry.

On January 30, 2024, Revolo Biotherapeutics announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Orphan Drug Designation (ODD) to '1104, a first-in-class immune resetting peptide, which is under development for the treatment of eosinophilic esophagitis.

About Revolo Biotherapeutics

Revolo Biotherapeutics is developing therapies capable of resetting the immune system, thereby providing long-term relief for patients with autoimmune and allergic diseases without the immune system suppression associated with existing treatments. The company’s two lead candidates, ‘1805 and ‘1104, are a protein and a peptide, respectively, which reset the immune system and prevent the chronic pro-inflammatory immune responses that lead to autoimmune or allergic diseases.

2On January 29, 2024, Ascidian Therapeutics announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had approved the Investigational New Drug (IND) application for its RNA exon editing therapy ACDN-01 and granted Fast Track designation.

ACDN-01 is the first-ever RNA exon editing therapy in clinical stage and the only clinical-stage treatment targeting the genetic cause of Stargardt disease. Ascidian expects to initiate patient recruitment for the Phase 1/2 STELLAR study of ACDN-01 in treating Stargardt disease and other ABCA4 retinopathies in the first half of 2024.

About Ascidian Therapeutics

Ascidian is a biotechnology company focused on treating human diseases by rewriting RNA, redefining disease treatment through RNA rewriting. According to reports, Ascidian's therapy can achieve precise post-transcriptional editing of genes by editing exons at the RNA level, thereby obtaining the correct level of full-length, functional proteins at the right time and in the right cells. With active discoveries and preclinical programs in retinal, neurological, neuromuscular, and genetic diseases, Ascidian’s approach has the potential to treat patients with a single dose of RNA exon editor, opening up new therapeutic possibilities for those in need of breakthroughs.

On January 31, 2024, Novo Nordisk announced its 2023 financial results, with annual revenue reaching DKK 232.261 billion (approximately USD 33.771 billion), representing a year-on-year increase of 31%. Operating profit amounted to DKK 102.574 billion (approximately USD 14.914 billion), marking a year-on-year growth of 37%. (Based on the 2023 average exchange rate: 1 Danish Krone = 0.1454 USD)

By region, revenue in the U.S. region reached 127.534 billion Danish kroner (18.543 billion U.S. dollars), increasing by 51% year-on-year. Revenue in the China region amounted to 16.687 billion Danish kroner (2.426 billion U.S. dollars), growing by 3% year-on-year. Among this, revenue from GLP-1 products was 6.208 billion Danish kroner (903 million U.S. dollars), capturing a 76.6% market share in China.

About Novo Nordisk

Novo Nordisk, founded in 1923, is a global leading biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark. Our goal is to drive change to defeat diabetes, obesity, rare blood diseases, endocrine disorders, and other serious chronic diseases. To achieve this goal, we lead scientific breakthroughs, expand the accessibility of our medicines, and are committed to preventing and ultimately curing these diseases. Novo Nordisk has approximately 47,000 employees across 80 countries and regions worldwide, providing products and services to more than 168 countries and regions globally.