Clinical trial coverage on Peptide News Digest pulls in Phase 1 through Phase 3 readouts across the peptide universe — GLP-1 obesity and cardiometabolic trials (SELECT, SURMOUNT-4, ACHIEVE-3, REDEFINE-1, SYNCHRONIZE-1), peptide vaccine work (AMPLIFY-201, MEL39), peptide-drug conjugate trials, and antimicrobial peptide programs.
Most of the noise sits with Lilly and Novo, but the interesting reads are usually elsewhere: Bicycle Therapeutics on solid tumors, Lirum on Ewing sarcoma, Cerapedics on lumbar fusion, Pelage on hair loss. Real-world evidence and registry data also land here when they reframe what the randomized trials showed.
Each entry names the sponsor, the phase, and the endpoint. Browse the latest below, or jump to the readouts by drug at #semaglutide, #tirzepatide, or #orforglipron.
Kailera Therapeutics (NASDAQ: KLRA) reported August 12, 2026 Q2 2026 financial results and disclosed an active Investigational New Drug (IND) application with the US FDA for ribupatide oral (KAI-9531-T), a triple agonist (GLP-1, GIP, and glucagon receptor) peptide for obesity being co-developed with Hengrui Pharma. Global Phase 3 obesity trials are planned to initiate in H1 2027. Phase 2 data foundation: Hengrui's Phase 2 trial in adults with obesity documented up to 12.1% mean weight loss with no observed plateau at Week 26 and up to 38.6% of participants achieving at least 15% weight loss at the 25 mg and 50 mg once-daily oral doses. A ribupatide injection Phase 2b high-dose trial in obesity is fully enrolled with data anticipated in mid-2027. Ribupatide competes mechanistically with Eli Lilly's retatrutide (once-weekly injectable triple agonist, roughly 28.7% weight loss at 68 weeks in Phase 3 TRIUMPH-4) in the triple-agonist class. The oral formulation could compete with Lilly's orforglipron (oral small-molecule GLP-1 agonist, roughly 7.5-11.2% weight loss over 72 weeks) and Novo Nordisk's Wegovy pill (oral semaglutide 25 mg). Kailera holds US and ex-China commercial rights via a license from Hengrui.
Viking Therapeutics (NASDAQ: VKTX) disclosed on the July 29, 2026 Q2 2026 earnings call that VK3019, a novel dual amylin and calcitonin receptor agonist peptide for obesity, has entered Phase 1 clinical development. The candidate extends the company's obesity pipeline beyond the flagship VK2735 (dual GLP-1/GIP agonist). VK2735 status: Phase 3 VANQUISH program in obesity and obesity/type 2 diabetes is fully enrolled and advancing on track; oral VK2735 Phase 3 trials are slated to initiate in Q4 2026, positioning Viking as a potential first-to-market oral dual GLP-1/GIP agonist. A novel maintenance dosing study for VK2735 is nearing completion, with results expected later in Q3 2026 exploring less frequent dosing regimens. Q2 2026 financials: net loss widened to $128.1 million from $65.6 million in Q2 2025 on increased R&D spending, with $502 million in cash and short-term investments down from $706 million at year-end 2025. VK3019 is mechanistically distinct from VK2735: amylin signaling adds brainstem-mediated satiety (via the calcitonin receptor complex with RAMPs) on top of a calcitonin receptor agonism that has a longer development history in postmenopausal osteoporosis (Miacalcin) and Paget's disease. The amylin plus calcitonin combination extends the amylin-analog obesity category anchored by Novo Nordisk's cagrilintide (a component of CagriSema) and the Novo amycretin oral amylin monotherapy program.
Amylyx Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: AMLX) confirmed on the August 6, 2026 Q2 2026 earnings call that top-line data from the registrational Phase 3 LUCIDITY trial of avexitide for post-bariatric hypoglycemia will read out in late August or early September 2026. Avexitide (formerly XOMA 358) is exendin (9-39), a peptide GLP-1 receptor antagonist: a 30-amino-acid peptide that binds the GLP-1 receptor without activating it, blocking endogenous GLP-1 signaling. This is the mechanistic opposite of semaglutide, tirzepatide, and the other GLP-1 receptor agonists. Post-bariatric hypoglycemia (PBH) is a serious complication of Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery affecting roughly 8% of patients long-term and manifesting as postprandial hypoglycemia (dangerously low blood sugar after meals) driven by excessive GLP-1 signaling in the reconfigured GI anatomy. Avexitide blocks GLP-1 receptor activation to normalize postprandial glucose. Q2 2026 EPS of -$0.39 missed the -$0.35 consensus by $0.04 (11% below forecast). The LUCIDITY readout is one of the most-watched near-term peptide-specific clinical catalysts and one of very few Phase 3 programs targeting a GLP-1 receptor antagonist rather than agonist mechanism. If positive, avexitide would represent a first-in-class approved therapy for post-bariatric hypoglycemia, an indication with no currently approved drug therapy.
Silence Therapeutics (NASDAQ: SLN) announced positive topline results from the Phase 2 SANRECO trial of divesiran, a first-in-class TMPRSS6-targeting siRNA product candidate developed from the company's proprietary mRNAi GOLD platform. The trial enrolled 48 phlebotomy-dependent adults with polycythemia vera (PV) and evaluated divesiran 6 mg/kg administered subcutaneously every 6 weeks (Q6W) or every 12 weeks (Q12W) versus placebo over a 36-week randomized double-blind period. Results: 88% of divesiran-treated patients achieved a response versus 19% on placebo (P<0.0001), corresponding to a 69% placebo-adjusted response rate. How divesiran works: it silences TMPRSS6 (transmembrane serine protease 6) expressed almost exclusively in the liver; TMPRSS6 is a negative regulator of hepcidin, the body's master regulator of iron metabolism. By silencing TMPRSS6, divesiran increases hepcidin production and release by liver hepatocytes, which restricts iron availability to bone marrow and reduces the excessive red blood cell production that drives PV symptoms. Divesiran has FDA Fast Track and Orphan Drug designations for PV. Silence Therapeutics anticipates initiating a Phase 3 trial evaluating divesiran Q12W versus placebo in the first half of 2027. Shares rose sharply on the news, touching a 52-week high. The read-through extends the broader siRNA cardiometabolic and rare-disease franchise landscape that also includes Alnylam's Amvuttra and Arrowhead's Redemplo (plozasiran) in adjacent hepatic-target siRNA categories.
Novo Nordisk released detailed data from the REDEFINE 4 head-to-head 84-week Phase 3 trial of CagriSema (cagrilintide 2.4 mg + semaglutide 2.4 mg fixed-dose combination) versus tirzepatide 15 mg. Trial design: 809 randomized adults with obesity and one or more comorbidities with mean baseline body weight of 114.2 kg, both drugs administered once weekly subcutaneously over 84 weeks. Primary endpoint results: CagriSema 23.0% weight loss versus tirzepatide 25.5% (treatment-policy estimand); CagriSema 20.2% versus tirzepatide 23.6% (treatment-regimen estimand). The trial missed the primary non-inferiority endpoint on weight loss for CagriSema compared to tirzepatide at 84 weeks. CagriSema safety profile was generally well-tolerated. The trial result complicates the Novo commercial positioning of CagriSema as its tirzepatide-beating differentiated response, though the FDA decision on the CagriSema obesity indication remains expected late 2026 based on the REDEFINE 1 and REDEFINE 2 pivotal trials submitted December 18, 2025. The head-to-head result adds to the widening Lilly-Novo franchise gap: Lilly Q2 2026 Mounjaro + Zepbound reached $14.9 billion in the quarter, while Novo H1 2026 sales reached 78.49 billion Danish kroner ($12.09 billion).
Novo Nordisk's experimental CagriSema (cagrilintide plus semaglutide fixed-dose combination) reportedly failed to control blood sugar as effectively as Eli Lilly's tirzepatide (Mounjaro/Zepbound) in a head-to-head Phase 3 trial of patients with type 2 diabetes. CagriSema regulatory filing was submitted December 18, 2025 with an expected FDA decision in late 2026 for obesity indication; the type 2 diabetes head-to-head failure complicates the commercial narrative and label-expansion strategy. The trial outcome adds to the widening Lilly-Novo franchise gap documented across the Q2 2026 earnings week: Eli Lilly (NYSE: LLY) Q2 revenue reached $23 billion (+48% year-over-year) with Foundayo (orforglipron oral small-molecule GLP-1) delivering $98 million in its first fully operational commercial quarter and Mounjaro + Zepbound combined at $14.9 billion; Novo Nordisk H1 2026 sales reached 78.49 billion Danish kroner ($12.09 billion, +3% constant currency) with shares declining 5% on margin-compression concerns despite raised guidance. Investor narrative on Novo's ability to defend GLP-1 franchise economics continues to deteriorate as the amylin analog (cagrilintide) that Novo positioned as its differentiator against tirzepatide's dual GIP/GLP-1 mechanism failed to close the efficacy gap in the head-to-head setting.
Boehringer Ingelheim's survodutide (BI 456906) Phase 2 MASH results continue to circulate through the pharma analyst community ahead of Phase 3 readouts expected in late 2026. Survodutide is a dual GLP-1 / glucagon receptor agonist administered by once-weekly subcutaneous injection. In the Phase 2 trial in patients with biopsy-proven metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH), 83% of survodutide-treated patients achieved histological improvement at 48 weeks (versus placebo comparator). Phase 3 trials for both MASH (LIVERAGE program) and obesity (SYNCHRONIZE program) are underway. Survodutide positions Boehringer Ingelheim to compete against Novo Nordisk semaglutide (Wegovy for obesity, Ozempic for type 2 diabetes) which has approximately 15% weight loss and Rezdiffra (resmetirion) FDA-approved March 2024 for MASH; Eli Lilly tirzepatide (Zepbound for obesity, Mounjaro for type 2 diabetes) which has approximately 21% weight loss; and the eventual Eli Lilly retatrutide triple GLP-1/GIP/glucagon agonist (Phase 3 TRIUMPH program) which showed 28.3% weight loss in Phase 3 obesity readouts earlier in 2026. The dual-agonist glucagon mechanism differentiates survodutide from the pure GLP-1 and GLP-1/GIP incumbents by adding hepatic glucose output modulation and potential MASH-specific liver benefit.
The 26th International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2026) closed Friday July 31, 2026 at Riocentro in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil after six days of programming under the conference theme 'Rethink. Rebuild. Rise.' Approximately 10,000 attendees participated in person and virtually. Signature presentations across the week: the Wednesday July 29 Gilead-Merck ISLEND-1 and ISLEND-2 late-breaker with Week 48 detailed Phase 3 data on the investigational once-weekly oral single-tablet islatravir 2 mg / lenacapavir 300 mg regimen (0% ISLEND-1 vs 0.3% daily Biktarvy at Week 48; 0.3% ISLEND-2 vs 1.3% daily standard-of-care); Gilead's twice-yearly subcutaneous lenacapavir (Yeztugo for HIV prevention) 52-week open-label extension data from Phase 3 PURPOSE 1 and PURPOSE 2 (zero new infections across 7,178 person-years, one infection across 5,295 person-years); the Monday July 27 UNAIDS 'United to End AIDS' 2025 data report on 2025 HIV funding cuts; and Thursday July 30 lenacapavir implementation-science programming with a cross-country demand generation playbook for scale-up. Generic lenacapavir from Dr. Reddy's Laboratories, Hetero Labs, and four other manufacturers is expected in 2027 at approximately $40 per person per year across 120 low- and lower-middle-income countries. The next International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2028) will be held in Barcelona, Spain.
The 26th International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2026) Day 4 continued Thursday July 30, 2026 at Riocentro in Rio de Janeiro. Two Thursday programming highlights: a cross-country implementation learning presentation on lenacapavir demand generation (16:33-16:41 BRT / 3:33-3:41 PM EDT) that introduces a structured demand generation playbook supporting effective introduction and uptake of lenacapavir within a broader PrEP Choice framework, following the Wednesday late-breaker on the Gilead-Merck ISLEND-1 and ISLEND-2 detailed Phase 3 data and the 52-week PURPOSE 1 and PURPOSE 2 open-label extension data on twice-yearly injectable lenacapavir. The ANRS RHIVIERA consortium (French research agency) satellite symposium (18:00-19:30 BRT) covers 'Treatment interruption and treatment resumption: lessons learned from HIV cure clinical trials,' addressing the analytical treatment interruption (ATI) research methodology and the observational learnings from HIV cure-focused trials that have paused antiretroviral therapy to test cure candidates. The conference closes Friday July 31 with the closing session and additional late-breaker presentations. Generic lenacapavir from Dr. Reddy's Laboratories, Hetero Labs, and four other manufacturers is expected in 2027 at approximately $40 per person per year across 120 low- and lower-middle-income countries.
Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ: GILD) and Merck (NYSE: MRK) presented detailed Phase 3 ISLEND-1 and ISLEND-2 Week 48 data during the late-breaking session at AIDS 2026 Wednesday July 29, 2026 in Rio de Janeiro. The investigational once-weekly oral single-tablet regimen of islatravir 2 mg / lenacapavir 300 mg (ISL/LEN) demonstrated non-inferior efficacy versus daily standard-of-care antiretroviral therapy in virologically-suppressed adults living with HIV who switched from daily Biktarvy (ISLEND-1) or other daily oral regimens (ISLEND-2). Primary endpoint results: 0% of ISLEND-1 participants on once-weekly ISL/LEN had HIV-1 RNA at 50 copies/mL or higher at Week 48 compared to 0.3% remaining on daily Biktarvy; in the open-label ISLEND-2 trial, 0.3% of participants on ISL/LEN had HIV-1 RNA at 50 copies/mL or higher versus 1.3% on daily standard-of-care regimens. Safety profile was generally similar to comparator regimens with no new safety signals identified. The Week 48 data will support planned regulatory submissions for the first once-weekly oral HIV treatment regimen. Lenacapavir is Gilead's first-in-class HIV capsid inhibitor; islatravir is Merck's nucleoside reverse transcriptase translocation inhibitor (NRTTI).
Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ: GILD) presented 52-week open-label extension (OLE) long-term data from the Phase 3 PURPOSE 1 and PURPOSE 2 trials of twice-yearly subcutaneous lenacapavir (Yeztugo, FDA-approved June 2025) for HIV prevention (pre-exposure prophylaxis, PrEP) at AIDS 2026 Wednesday July 29, 2026. PURPOSE 1 documented zero new HIV infections among participants receiving twice-yearly lenacapavir across more than 7,178 person-years of open-label follow-up at Week 52; PURPOSE 2 documented one HIV infection among participants continuing lenacapavir across 5,295 person-years. The 52-week OLE data confirms continued high efficacy, high adherence (participants generally reliably return for the twice-yearly injection), and consistent safety profile across broad and geographically diverse populations. Yeztugo has now been deployed in 10 priority sub-Saharan African countries including South Africa (national program launched June 5, 2026 by President Cyril Ramaphosa in Secunda, Mpumalanga), Zambia, and Eswatini through PEPFAR and Global Fund investments. Generic versions from Dr. Reddy's Laboratories, Hetero Labs, and four other manufacturers are expected in 2027 at approximately $40 per person per year across 120 low- and lower-middle-income countries.
The 26th International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2026) Day 2 continues Tuesday July 28, 2026 at Riocentro in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Key Tuesday programming includes: the World Health Organization (WHO) interactive workshop in Room 101C from 14:30-16:30 BRT on practical approaches to sustaining HIV, tuberculosis (TB), viral hepatitis, and sexually transmitted infection (STI) services for key populations through integrated primary health care (particularly timely following the UNAIDS 'United to End AIDS' report Monday documenting 2025 HIV funding cuts); the European AIDS Treatment Group (EATG) poster sessions Tuesday and Wednesday on the SCOPE, Belong, and RBDCOV research projects; the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI) cost-effectiveness presentation on dual HIV/syphilis and triplex HIV/syphilis/HBV rapid diagnostic testing among pregnant women in Kenya and South Africa (15:27-15:35 BRT); and the ViiV Healthcare peer-support-in-HIV-care session from 12:00-13:00 BRT. All abstracts (oral, poster, e-poster, and late-breaker) became available on-demand on Monday July 27 at 14:00 BRT for registered delegates, with on-demand session recordings available 4-12 hours after they take place. The main peptide-adjacent industry late-breaker (Gilead-Merck ISLEND-1 and ISLEND-2 detailed data) is scheduled for Wednesday July 29.
AstraZeneca (NYSE: AZN) reported Q2 2026 earnings before market open Monday July 27, 2026 with core earnings per share of $2.63 for the three months ended June 30 (+18% constant currency), beating consensus of $2.48. Revenue of $15.38 billion was in line with consensus of $15.39 billion (+5%). Analyst focus on the earnings call centered on the pipeline update: elecoglipron, the oral small-molecule GLP-1 receptor agonist AstraZeneca in-licensed and advanced through Phase 2 VISTA and SOLSTICE (positive data at ADA 2026 Scientific Sessions in June), has moved into a full Phase 3 program in Q2 2026. The Phase 3 program includes the EMBOLD trials in adults with obesity or overweight (with and without type 2 diabetes), the ELUMINATE trials in adults with type 2 diabetes (as monotherapy and in combination with dapagliflozin), and long-term cardiovascular and kidney outcome trials. AstraZeneca is now the third major sponsor competing with Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly for the oral GLP-1 market alongside oral semaglutide/Ozempic and orforglipron (Foundayo, FDA-approved April 2026). AstraZeneca separately revised the peak sales projection for tozorakimab (experimental respiratory treatment) to above $5 billion from the previous $3 billion estimate. AZN shares rose approximately 1.7% in London Monday morning trading.
The 26th International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2026) main conference opened Monday July 27, 2026 at Riocentro in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The opening ceremony ran 15:00-16:30 local time in the Global Village. UNAIDS released its 'United to End AIDS' 2025 data report on the opening day, documenting the severity of 2025 HIV funding cuts and their impact on HIV prevention, community services, key populations, and the sustainability of the global AIDS response. The WHO launched its first global mid-term assessment of progress under the Global Health Sector Strategies on HIV, viral hepatitis, and sexually transmitted infections, marking the halfway point to the 2030 targets and providing a comprehensive overview of where the world stands on the SDG 3.3 targets. Peptide-adjacent HIV modality content this week includes Gilead Sciences's twice-yearly lenacapavir (first-in-class HIV capsid inhibitor) PURPOSE 1 and PURPOSE 2 long-term extension data and the Gilead-Merck once-weekly oral islatravir/lenacapavir Phase 3 ISLEND-1 and ISLEND-2 detailed data late-breaker scheduled for Wednesday July 29. Merck plans separate presentations across daily, weekly, and monthly HIV treatment and prevention pipeline including alimatravir (MK-8527), the investigational once-monthly oral HIV prevention pill licensed July 24 to Aspen Pharmacare and six other generic manufacturers for 129 low- and middle-income countries.
The 26th International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2026) pre-conference sessions open Sunday July 26, 2026 at Riocentro in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil with PATH, WHO, and Unitaid programming focused on 'Advancing HIV Prevention Science and Access' between 08:00-13:00 local time. Twice-yearly lenacapavir (Gilead's Yeztugo, FDA-approved June 2025) has been deployed in 10 priority sub-Saharan African countries including South Africa (Secunda, Mpumalanga launch by President Cyril Ramaphosa on June 5, 2026), Zambia, and Eswatini through PEPFAR and Global Fund investments. Generic versions from Dr. Reddy's Laboratories, Hetero Labs, and four other manufacturers are expected in 2027 at approximately $40 per person per year following Gates Foundation and Unitaid partnership announcements in September 2025 (compared to the current US Yeztugo list price of approximately $28,218 per person per year). The main conference opens Monday July 27 with the UNAIDS 'United to End AIDS' report release providing 2025 HIV data and the WHO's first global mid-term assessment of progress under the Global Health Sector Strategies on HIV, viral hepatitis, and sexually transmitted infections (marking the halfway point to the 2030 targets). Up to 10,000 attendees are expected in person and virtually across the seven-day program running through Friday July 31. Conference theme: 'Rethink. Rebuild. Rise.'
Alnylam Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: ALNY) reports Q2 2026 earnings Thursday July 30, 2026 before market open. Analyst focus areas include the new ALN-6222 investigational subcutaneous siRNA obesity Phase 1 trial (NCT07624071, first-in-human single-ascending-dose randomized double-blind placebo-controlled design enrolling approximately 88 adults with BMI 30 to less than 40 kg/m² and HbA1c below 6.5% at a single site in Mount Royal, Canada through December 2027; molecular target of ALN-6222 has not been publicly disclosed). Also under focus: the Phase 1 ALN-2232 program (Alnylam's second obesity-track siRNA, with a Phase 1 readout expected in the second half of 2026), the Alnylam-PeptiDream peptide-siRNA conjugate extrahepatic delivery platform milestone announced December 2025 (demonstrating peptide-ligand-mediated targeted siRNA delivery to specific extrahepatic tissues), and the broader Alnylam 2030 strategy launch positioning beyond the Amvuttra (vutrisiran) transthyretin amyloidosis franchise. Alnylam's obesity pipeline is programmed against inhibin subunit beta E (INHBE) in liver and activin receptor type 1C (ACVR1C) in adipose tissue, both nucleic-acid modality targets that are distinct from GLP-1 agonism.
The 26th International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2026) opens Sunday July 26, 2026 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and runs through Friday July 31. Two peptide-adjacent HIV modality readouts anchor the industry program. Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ: GILD) will present twice-yearly lenacapavir (first-in-class HIV capsid inhibitor) long-term open-label extension data from the Phase 3 PURPOSE 1 trial, where zero new HIV infections occurred among participants receiving lenacapavir across more than 7,178 person-years of follow-up at Week 52, and from PURPOSE 2, where one HIV infection occurred among participants continuing lenacapavir across 5,295 person-years of follow-up. Separately, Gilead and Merck's once-weekly oral single-tablet islatravir 2 mg / lenacapavir 300 mg (ISL/LEN) Phase 3 ISLEND-1 and ISLEND-2 detailed data is scheduled for the late-breaking session on Wednesday July 29. Topline released July 21 showed 0% of ISLEND-1 once-weekly ISL/LEN participants had HIV-1 RNA at 50 copies/mL or higher at Week 48 (versus 0.3% remaining on daily Biktarvy). Merck plans separate presentations across its daily, weekly, and monthly HIV treatment and prevention pipeline including alimatravir (MK-8527), the investigational once-monthly oral HIV prevention pill licensed Friday July 24 to Aspen Pharmacare and six other generic manufacturers for 129 low- and middle-income countries.
Alnylam Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: ALNY) confirmed a first-in-human Phase 1 trial of ALN-6222, an investigational subcutaneous siRNA therapeutic in adults with obesity, in a July 22 filing update on ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT07624071). The randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, single ascending dose study will enroll approximately 88 participants with a BMI of 30 to less than 40 kg/m² and an HbA1c below 6.5% (excluding participants with diabetes). The primary endpoints are safety and pharmacodynamics; secondary endpoints include changes in body weight and metabolic markers. The molecular target of ALN-6222 has not been publicly disclosed. The trial is set to run through December 2027 at a single site in Mount Royal, Canada. ALN-6222 marks Alnylam's first clinical-stage entry into the obesity therapeutic area, joining a broader wave of nucleic-acid, peptide, and peptide-fusion modalities entering the space beyond the GLP-1 incumbents (Wegovy, Ozempic, Mounjaro, Zepbound) and the Alnylam-PeptiDream peptide-siRNA conjugate collaboration announced in 2021. Alnylam separately reports Q2 2026 earnings later this week and is expected to discuss the ALN-6222 program on the call.