Peptide News Digest

Lilly Q1 Earnings Preview, C&EN Amylin Feature, AJSM Sports Medicine Peptide Primer, Trevogrumab and Apitegromab Muscle Preservation Race

Eli Lilly Q1 earnings April 30; C&EN dives into amylin's GLP-1 challenge; AJSM peptide primer for sports medicine; trevogrumab and apitegromab muscle-preservation race.

10 stories · Covering industry, research, clinical-trials, regulatory

Editor's Note

Earnings week kicks off with Eli Lilly reporting April 30 — Morningstar's fair value sits at $870 with 27% top-line growth projected, but Foundayo's slow launch trajectory and the BALANCE pilot collapse have shifted analyst attention. C&EN's new amylin feature is the cleanest framing yet of whether non-GLP-1 obesity drugs (Roche/Zealand petrelintide, Lilly eloralintide, Novo cagrilintide) can carve real share in a market dominated by semaglutide and tirzepatide. On the academic side, the American Journal of Sports Medicine published a comprehensive injectable peptide primer surveying BPC-157, TB-4, TB-500, GHK-Cu and others — concluding that despite explosive consumer demand, human evidence remains thin and dosing protocols are largely undefined. Three additional academic pieces (Sports Health Reddit qualitative study, Therapeutic Peptides in Orthopaedics review, AOSSM update) show the orthopedics community formalizing its skepticism ahead of the July PCAC meeting. The muscle-preservation race continues with Regeneron's COURAGE (trevogrumab + semaglutide ± garetosmab) and Scholar Rock's EMBRAZE (apitegromab + tirzepatide) both still drawing industry attention.

Industry

Eli Lilly Q1 2026 Earnings April 30: Morningstar Lifts Fair Value to $870 (from $770), Projects 27% Top-Line Growth

Morningstar issued a pre-earnings note ahead of Eli Lilly's April 30 Q1 2026 report raising fair value to $870 from $770 following 2025 results and management guidance. Analysts project 27% top-line growth in 2026 and 20% in 2027, with double-digit growth through end of decade. Mounjaro/Zepbound represented 56% of total sales in 2025, projected to exceed 60% in 2026 with patent protection through 2036. The Q1 print will be the first read on Foundayo launch trajectory after the disappointing 1,390 / 3,707 prescription weeks 1-2.

#eli-lilly #q1-2026-earnings #morningstar #mounjaro #zepbound #foundayo
Industry

Chemical & Engineering News Feature: "Can Amylin Weight-Loss Drugs Compete in a World of GLP-1s?"

C&EN published a comprehensive April 2026 feature examining whether amylin analogs — Novo's cagrilintide, Lilly's eloralintide, and Roche/Zealand's petrelintide — can carve meaningful share in a market dominated by semaglutide and tirzepatide. Wall Street initially expected amylin candidates to differentiate on muscle preservation and reduced GI side effects, but as Phase 2 readouts arrive investor enthusiasm has cooled. CagriSema Phase 3 head-to-head against tirzepatide is the make-or-break readout for Novo Nordisk's amylin strategy.

#amylin #cagrisema #petrelintide #eloralintide #non-glp-1-obesity #c-and-en
Research

American Journal of Sports Medicine Review: "Injectable Peptide Therapy — A Primer for Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Physicians"

AJSM published a comprehensive review of injectable peptide therapy for orthopedic and sports medicine, surveying BPC-157, TB-4, TB-500, CJC-1295 + ipamorelin, tesamorelin, and GHK-Cu. The authors conclude that while preclinical evidence supports tendon and muscle repair benefits, human trials are minimal — the most-cited BPC-157 human data is a single 12-patient case series with significant methodological flaws. TB-500 and BPC-157 remain WADA-banned. The piece directly addresses surgeons being asked about peptides by patients in the wake of FDA Category 2 changes.

#ajsm #injectable-peptide #orthopaedic #sports-medicine #bpc-157 #tb-500
Research

Sports Health Qualitative Study: "Injuries, Injections, and Internet Forums — Reddit User Perspectives on Peptide Therapy After Orthopaedic Surgery"

A qualitative research study published in Sports Health (Sage Journals) analyzed Reddit user perspectives on peptide therapy after orthopedic surgery, capturing patient experiences with BPC-157, TB-500, and combination protocols (KLOW, GLOW). The study documents how patients are sourcing peptides outside the regulated medical system, often without physician oversight, and provides one of the few peer-reviewed snapshots of the gray-market peptide community as the FDA July PCAC review approaches.

#sports-health #qualitative-study #reddit #post-surgical #peptide-therapy #patient-perspective
Industry

Merlintrader Hims & Hers Deep Dive: "After the GLP-1 Reset, the Novo Pivot, and the New Peptide Optionality"

An investor-facing April 2026 deep dive analyzes Hims & Hers' transformation from compounded GLP-1 distributor to dual-supplier branded telehealth platform after the Novo Nordisk settlement (March 9, 2026), the Eli Lilly partnership expansion (April 23), and the FDA Category 2 peptide reclassification. The piece argues the California peptide manufacturing facility acquired in 2025 — originally for compounded GLP-1s — could pivot to producing reclassified peptides like BPC-157, TB-500, and KPV if July's PCAC clears the path.

#hims-hers #investor-analysis #compounding-pivot #peptide-manufacturing #telehealth
Research

AOSSM Update: "The Boom of Peptides in Sports Medicine — Do We Know Anything More?"

The American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine published an April 2026 update revisiting the evidence base for peptide therapy in sports medicine. The piece reflects increasing surgeon-side concerns about patients self-administering peptides for recovery from injuries and surgeries, with growing pressure from clinics offering BPC-157 and TB-500 injections. AOSSM's stance remains that current evidence is insufficient to recommend therapeutic peptide use — but the educational push acknowledges the rising clinical reality post-FDA reclassification.

#aossm #sports-medicine #peptide-evidence #clinical-guidance #bpc-157
Clinical Trials

Scholar Rock Apitegromab + Tirzepatide EMBRAZE Phase 2: 54.9% Lean Mass Preservation Continues to Set Muscle-Sparing Bar

Scholar Rock's apitegromab — a selective pro/latent myostatin antibody approved for SMA — continues to draw obesity-pipeline attention with EMBRAZE Phase 2 data showing 54.9% relative lean mass preservation when combined with tirzepatide vs tirzepatide alone (4.2 lbs / 1.9 kg additional lean mass preserved, p=0.001). Body composition shifted from 70% fat/30% lean with tirzepatide alone to 85%/15% with the combination. SRK-439 next-gen selective myostatin inhibitor is in preclinical development with attenuation of fat-mass rebound after GLP-1 withdrawal as a key signal.

#scholar-rock #apitegromab #embraze #myostatin #muscle-preservation #tirzepatide-combination
Clinical Trials

Regeneron COURAGE Phase 2: Trevogrumab + Semaglutide Doublet Cuts Lean Mass Loss in Half; Triplet with Garetosmab Pushes to 92.6% Fat-Mass Loss

Regeneron's COURAGE Phase 2 data presented at EASD 2025 continue to drive obesity-pipeline conversations. Semaglutide alone produced 6.5% lean mass loss at 26 weeks; sema + trevogrumab 200 mg cut that to 3.3% (~half), and the triplet with garetosmab (anti-activin A) pushed to 2.0% lean mass loss with 92.6% fat-mass loss. The triplet had higher discontinuation for tolerability. Full COURAGE completion is expected late 2026, with Phase 3 initiation likely 2027.

#regeneron #trevogrumab #garetosmab #courage-trial #myostatin #muscle-preservation
Research

PubMed Review: "Therapeutic Peptides in Orthopaedics — Applications, Challenges, and Future Directions"

A 2025-2026 PubMed-indexed review (PMID 41490200) consolidates the orthopedics-focused therapeutic peptide literature, covering bone graft peptides (P-15, BMP-2 mimetics), tendon repair peptides (BPC-157, TB-500), cartilage peptides (Cartalax, anti-myostatin agents), and clinical translation challenges. Cerapedics' PearlMatrix P-15 is highlighted as one of the few FDA-cleared peptide-enhanced orthopedic products — context for the company's Vizient supplier deal earlier this week.

#orthopaedic-peptide #pubmed-review #p-15-peptide #tendon-repair #cartilage #bone-graft
Regulatory

Holt Law Regulatory Deep-Dive: Status of Popular Compounded Peptides Post-Category 2 Removal

Pharmacy law firm Holt Law published a detailed regulatory analysis of how the FDA's April 22 Category 2 removals interact with state pharmacy boards, 503A vs 503B compounding pathways, and physician prescribing requirements. The analysis emphasizes that Category 2 removal is not the same as 503A bulk-list inclusion, and that compounding pharmacies face material legal risk if they begin producing reclassified peptides before the July 23-24 PCAC meeting. The piece is a working reference for pharmacy operations preparing for the post-PCAC environment.

#holt-law #compounding-regulation #503a #503b #pcac #peptide-policy