Half-life

No, taking drugs like Ozempic isn’t ‘cheating’ at weight loss or the ‘easy way out’

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, April 10, 2024
Eating, Reward, Diarrhea, Cardiovascular disease, Obesity, Exercise, Therapeutic Goods Administration, Cell, Hunger, Energy, Half-life, Indigestion, Abdominal pain, Gardening, Insulin, Risk, Diabetes, Weight loss, Stroke, Constipation, Research, Food, Meal, Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, Diet, Nausea, Gallbladder disease, Dance, Kidney failure, Hypoglycemia, TGA, BMI, Vomiting, Acute pancreatitis, STEP, Pharmaceutical industry

Hundreds of thousands of people worldwide are taking drugs like Ozempic to lose weight.

Key Points: 
  • Hundreds of thousands of people worldwide are taking drugs like Ozempic to lose weight.
  • As demand for semaglutide increases, so are claims that taking it is “cheating” at weight loss or the “easy way out”.
  • We don’t tell people who need statin medication to treat high cholesterol or drugs to manage high blood pressure they’re cheating or taking the easy way out.

How does it work?

  • GLP-1 gets secreted by cells in your gut when it detects increased nutrient levels after eating.
  • GLP-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1RA) medications like Ozempic help the body’s own GLP-1 work better by mimicking and extending its action.
  • Read more:
    The rise of Ozempic: how surprise discoveries and lizard venom led to a new class of weight-loss drugs

What can users expect? What does the research say?

  • Higher doses of semaglutide are prescribed to treat obesity compared to type 2 diabetes management (up to 2.4mg versus 2.0mg weekly).
  • A large group of randomised controlled trials, called STEP trials, all tested weekly 2.4mg semaglutide injections versus different interventions or placebo drugs.
  • Trials lasting 1.3–2 years consistently found weekly 2.4 mg semaglutide injections led to 6–12% greater weight loss compared to placebo or alternative interventions.
  • Weight reduction due to semaglutide also leads to a reduction in systolic and diastolic blood pressure of about 4.8 mmHg and 2.5 mmHg respectively, a reduction in triglyceride levels (a type of blood fat) and improved physical function.
  • Another recent trial in adults with pre-existing heart disease and obesity, but without type 2 diabetes, found adults receiving weekly 2.4mg semaglutide injections had a 20% lower risk of specific cardiovascular events, including having a non-fatal heart attack, a stroke or dying from cardiovascular disease, after three years follow-up.

Who is eligible for semaglutide?

  • Australia’s regulator, the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), has approved semaglutide, sold as Ozempic, for treating type 2 diabetes.
  • The TGA has approved Wegovy to treat obesity but it’s not currently available in Australia.

What else do you need to do during Ozempic treatment?

  • In addition to taking medication, people had brief lifestyle counselling sessions with dietitians or other health professionals every four weeks as a minimum in most trials.
  • The aim of these trials was to show the effect of adding the medication on top of other lifestyle counselling.


A review of obesity medication trials found people reported they needed less cognitive behaviour training to help them stick with the reduced energy intake. This is one aspect where drug treatment may make adherence a little easier. Not feeling as hungry and having environmental food cues “switched off” may mean less support is required for goal-setting, self-monitoring food intake and avoiding things that trigger eating.

But what are the side effects?

  • In on study these led to discontinuation of medication in 6% of people, but interestingly also in 3% of people taking placebos.
  • More severe side-effects included gallbladder disease, acute pancreatitis, hypoglycaemia, acute kidney disease and injection site reactions.
  • Here are some potential risks and benefits

    To reduce risk or severity of side-effects, medication doses are increased very slowly over months.

  • Health, Meat and Livestock Australia, and Greater Charitable Foundation.
  • She has consulted to SHINE Australia, Novo Nordisk, Quality Bakers, the Sax Institute, Dietitians Australia and the ABC.

Mural Oncology Presents Preclinical Data for IL-18 and IL-12 Programs at the 2024 American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, April 9, 2024
Toxicity, Half-life, Patient, Tumor microenvironment, Observation, Interleukin 18, AACR, Neoplasm, Cancer, Cytokine, Immune system, IL-12, Vaccine

WALTHAM, Mass and DUBLIN, Ireland, April 09, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Mural Oncology plc (Nasdaq: MURA), a clinical-stage immuno-oncology company developing novel, investigational engineered cytokine therapies designed to address areas of unmet need for patients with a variety of cancers, today shared poster presentations with pre-clinical data from its Interleukin-18 (IL-18) and IL-12 programs at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) annual meeting taking place April 5-10 in San Diego, California. This is the first time Mural has shared findings from either program. The details for the presentations are as follows, and both posters are available at https://www.muraloncology.com/publications/.

Key Points: 
  • Mural’s protein engineering approach is twofold: first, it introduces mutations to IL-18 that are designed to minimally impact the structure while eliminating binding to IL-18BP.
  • The optimal balance of potency and pharmacokinetic enhancement is still being determined to nominate a lead IL-18 development candidate.
  • We show that resistance to IL-18BP combined with the drug’s extended half-life leads to a durable immunological effect in preclinical models.
  • “We believe that by self-assembling the split IL-12 subunits within the tumor microenvironments, we can circumvent native IL-12’s severe toxicities without compromising its efficacy.

Astex Pharmaceuticals Announce Key Data Presentations at the American Association For Cancer Research (AACR) 2024 Annual Meeting

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, April 3, 2024
Toxicity, Aplastic anemia, AACR, Astex Pharmaceuticals, MDM2, Half-life

ASTX295 is an oral, potent inhibitor of the p53-MDM2 protein-protein interaction that was discovered by Astex using its proprietary structure-based drug design approach.

Key Points: 
  • ASTX295 is an oral, potent inhibitor of the p53-MDM2 protein-protein interaction that was discovered by Astex using its proprietary structure-based drug design approach.
  • The compound was specifically designed to overcome the on-target toxicity seen in the first generation MDM2 antagonist compounds which have shown dose-limiting haematological toxicities in the clinic.
  • In contrast, ASTX295 is a potent MDM2 antagonist with a clean CYP/hERG profile and a shorter human half-life allowing for pulsatile pathway modulation while avoiding myelosuppression.
  • ASTX295 therefore has bone-marrow sparing characteristics which permit a differentiated safety profile to be presented at AACR.

Avalo Acquires Anti-IL-1β mAb and Announces Private Placement Financing of up to $185 Million

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, March 27, 2024
Eli Lilly, Disease, Half-life, Partnership, Patient, Sale, Acquisition, Inflammation, Therapy, OrbiMed, Hidradenitis suppurativa, Probability, Autoimmune disease

Executed private placement financing of up to $185 million, including initial upfront investment of $115.6 million; expected to extend cash runway into 2027

Key Points: 
  • Executed private placement financing of up to $185 million, including initial upfront investment of $115.6 million; expected to extend cash runway into 2027
    Webcast to be held tomorrow, March 28, 2024 at 8:30 a.m. E.T.
  • The private placement will provide up to $185 million in gross proceeds, including an initial gross upfront investment of $115.6 million.
  • After deducting estimated transaction costs from both the private placement financing and the acquisition of AlmataBio, Avalo expects net upfront proceeds to be approximately $105 million.
  • The private placement is expected to close on March 28, 2024, subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions.

Immuneering Announces First Patient Dosed in its Phase 1/2a Trial of IMM-6-415 to Treat Advanced Solid Tumors with RAF or RAS Mutations

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, March 27, 2024
Mutation, RAF, MAPK, Growth, Half-life, PD, Colorectal cancer, RAS, Patient, Neoplasm, Cancer, HRAS, DCI, Human, Binimetinib, AACR, NRAS, Safety, Cycle, Pharmacokinetics, Encorafenib, Pharmaceutical industry

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., March 27, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Immuneering Corporation (Nasdaq: IMRX), a clinical-stage oncology company seeking to develop and commercialize universal-RAS/RAF medicines for broad populations of cancer patients, today announced that the first patient has been dosed in its Phase 1/2a trial of IMM-6-415 to treat advanced solid tumors with RAF or RAS mutations.

Key Points: 
  • In animal studies, IMM-6-415 strongly inhibited the growth of tumors with RAF or RAS mutations, as both a monotherapy and in combinations.
  • “We are pleased to have dosed the first patient in our Phase 1/2a trial for IMM-6-415, our second product candidate to enter the clinic,” said Ben Zeskind, Chief Executive Officer, Immuneering Corporation.
  • We believe the shorter half-life of IMM-6-415 could provide a potential treatment option for a broad patient population with RAS or RAF mutations.
  • The trial will include solid tumor patients with any mutation in RAF, KRAS, NRAS, or HRAS who meet the enrollment criteria.

Korro Reports Full Year 2023 Financial Results and Highlights Recent Progress

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, March 26, 2024
Research, Piz, Adenosine deaminase, Half-life, Patient, Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, AAT, ADAR, Mouse, RNA, Chord, N-Acetylgalactosamine, Hepatocyte, Investment, Customization, Protein, Therapy, Research and development, Administration, Liver, Vaccine

KRRO-110 is the first RNA editing oligonucleotide product candidate from Korro’s platform called Oligonucleotide Promoted Editing of RNA (OPERA™).

Key Points: 
  • KRRO-110 is the first RNA editing oligonucleotide product candidate from Korro’s platform called Oligonucleotide Promoted Editing of RNA (OPERA™).
  • Using CHORDs, Korro achieved greater than 50% editing using GalNAc conjugates with subcutaneous administration to the liver in a preclinical mouse model.
  • Full Year 2023 Financial Results:
    Cash Position: Cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments were $166.1 million as of December 31, 2023, compared to $55.2 million as of December 31, 2022.
  • Net Loss: Korro’s net loss was $81.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2023, as compared to $58.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2022.

Apogee Therapeutics Announces First Participants Dosed in Phase 1 Trial of APG808, its Novel Half-life Extended IL-4Rα Antibody for the Treatment of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and Other Inflammatory Diseases

Retrieved on: 
Monday, March 25, 2024
I&I, TARC, Atopic dermatitis, Disease, Half-life, Patient, SAN, Heel, IND, Respiratory disease, Asthma, SQ, Clinical trial, Therapy, Safety, Pharmacokinetics, Engineering, Pharmaceutical industry

SAN FRANCISCO and WALTHAM, Mass., March 25, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Apogee Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: APGE), a clinical-stage biotechnology company advancing differentiated biologics for the treatment of atopic dermatitis (AD), COPD, asthma and other inflammatory and immunology (I&I) indications, today announced that it has initiated dosing of healthy volunteers in its first clinical trial for APG808, a novel subcutaneous (SQ) extended half-life monoclonal antibody (mAb) targeting IL-4Rα, which is being developed as a treatment for people living with moderate-to-severe COPD, asthma and other I&I diseases.

Key Points: 
  • COPD is a progressive respiratory disease that is estimated to affect approximately 10 percent of the global population 40 years of age and older.
  • Despite recent advancements in COPD treatment, a significant number of people continue to suffer and die from the disease.
  • The APG808 Phase 1 trial is designed as a double-blind, placebo-controlled, first-in-human, single-ascending dose trial in healthy volunteers.
  • Importantly, this points to potentially less frequent dosing for patients with COPD, which could significantly improve quality of life.”

Invivyd Announces FDA Authorization for Emergency Use of PEMGARDA™ (Formerly VYD222) for Pre-exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) of COVID-19

Retrieved on: 
Friday, March 22, 2024
Diphenhydramine, Anaphylaxis, Hook effect, Pre-exposure prophylaxis, Half-life, Risk, Bone marrow, COVID-19, Patient, Metoprolol, Adrenaline, Epitope, DSM-IV codes, SARS-CoV-2, Death, Adolescence, Bank statement, Post-exposure prophylaxis, Clinical trial, CDC, Antibody, Vaccination, Safety, Immunodeficiency, Vaccine, FDA, Food, Medicine

Recipients should not be currently infected with or have had a known recent exposure to an individual infected with SARS-CoV-2.

Key Points: 
  • Recipients should not be currently infected with or have had a known recent exposure to an individual infected with SARS-CoV-2.
  • “The PEMGARDA EUA marks a transformational moment for Invivyd and for the many moderately to severely immunocompromised people who are vulnerable to COVID-19 disease in the U.S.
  • It was developed using INVYMAB™, the company’s platform approach which combines state-of-the-art viral surveillance and predictive modeling with advanced antibody engineering.
  • The severity of the reactions was generally mild (17/27) or moderate (8/27), but two reactions were life-threatening.

Absci Reports Business Updates and Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2023 Financial and Operating Results

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, March 21, 2024
Research, Computational biology, AstraZeneca, Drug discovery, Half-life, Partnership, Executive, Patient, Conditional sentence, Biopharmaceutical, Insurance, Medicine, Dermatology, Investment, Therapy, Cryptocurrency

VANCOUVER, Wash. and NEW YORK, March 21, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Absci Corporation (Nasdaq: ABSI), a data-first generative AI drug creation company, today reported financial and operating results for the fourth quarter and year ended December 31, 2023.

Key Points: 
  • "In 2023, Absci further solidified its leadership in AI-driven biologic drug discovery," said Sean McClain, Founder and CEO.
  • In January, Absci presented positive preclinical data for ABS-101, a potential best-in-class anti-TL1A antibody, which exhibited properties consistent with a potentially superior product profile.
  • Based on further confirmatory studies, Absci selected a development candidate and initiated IND-enabling studies for ABS-101 in February 2024.
  • Cash, cash equivalents, and short-term investments as of December 31, 2023 were $97.7 million, compared to $113.5 million as of September 30, 2023.

Dianthus Therapeutics Highlights Recent Business Achievements and Reports Q4 and FY2023 Financial Results

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, March 21, 2024
Janus, Research, MMN, Myasthenia gravis, Dianthus, GMG, CIDP, Half-life, Form, Patient, Complement component 1s, Magenta, Acetylcholine, American Academy, CMC, G&A, YTE, Drug, AAN, Investment, Therapy, PIPE, Magic, Multifocal motor neuropathy, Annual general meeting, Pharmaceutical industry

NEW YORK and WALTHAM, Mass., March 21, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Dianthus Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: DNTH), a clinical-stage biotechnology company dedicated to advancing the next generation of antibody complement therapeutics to treat severe autoimmune diseases, today reported financial results for the fourth quarter and full year ending December 31, 2023, and provided an update on recent business achievements.

Key Points: 
  • DNTH103 has the potential to be a best-in-class pipeline-in-a-product across a range of autoimmune disorders with high unmet need.
  • Initial top-line results from this trial are anticipated to be available in the second half of 2025.
  • Dianthus successfully completed a private investment in public equity (“PIPE”) financing in January 2024 that resulted in gross proceeds of approximately $230 million.
  • Additional Information – For additional information on the Company’s financial results for the year ended December 31, 2023, please refer to the Form 10-K filed with the SEC.