Peptide News Digest

ASCO Abstract 3143 GLP-1 Cancer Metastasis 12,112 Patients, Oorja Bio ORJ-001 IPF Launch, Altimmune Pemvidutide Best of EASL, ASCO Embargoed Press Briefing, Sapience Lucicebtide 28.4-mo PFS, Zealand Pharma EGM

ASCO GLP-1 cancer metastasis 12,112 patients, Oorja Bio launch ORJ-001 IPF, Altimmune Best of EASL pemvidutide, ASCO press briefing 3:30 PM ET, Zealand Pharma EGM.

6 stories · Covering research, industry, clinical-trials

Editor's Note

Tuesday digest opens the busiest peptide-meeting week of 2026. ASCO's embargoed virtual press briefing for credentialed media lands today 3:30-5:00 PM ET, previewing Late-Breaking Abstracts ahead of Saturday May 30 presentations and the May 29 meeting opening. The single most-impactful peptide-relevant abstract previewing today is Abstract 3143 — a real-world analysis of 12,112 patients showing GLP-1 receptor agonists reduce metastatic progression by 38-50% in four obesity-related cancers (lung, breast, colorectal, liver) versus DPP-4 inhibitors, with high tumor GLP-1R expression associated with 33% lower mortality across seven cancer types. The piece reframes GLP-1 therapy as a cancer-prevention modality alongside its established cardiometabolic indications. On the non-GLP-1 side, Oorja Bio launched May 19 with $30M Series A from Westlake BioPartners and Phase 1 data on ORJ-001 — a first-in-class β1 integrin agonist peptide that restores alveolar epithelial type 2 cell function in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. The Houston biotech has IND clearance and plans Phase 2 initiation this year. Altimmune's pemvidutide IMPACT Phase 2b 48-week data was selected as 'Best of EASL 2026' — the GLP-1/glucagon dual peptide oral presentation lands Thursday May 28 17:00 CEST at EASL Barcelona, with the late-breaking fibrosis-regression poster Wednesday May 27 08:30 CEST. Zealand Pharma held its Extraordinary General Meeting in Copenhagen May 26 with Camilla Sylvest elected to the Board of Directors; the petrelintide and survodutide programs anchor the company's amylin and glucagon/GLP-1 dual-agonist pipeline through 2026.

Research

ASCO 2026 Abstract 3143 (Preview Today): GLP-1 RAs Reduce Metastatic Progression 38-50% in Four Obesity-Related Cancers — 12,112-Patient Real-World Analysis

A real-world data analysis previewed at ASCO's May 26 embargoed press briefing compared GLP-1 receptor agonists against DPP-4 inhibitors (gliptins) across 12,112 patients with seven obesity-related cancers. For four of the seven — lung, breast, colorectal, and liver — patients on GLP-1s were 38% to 50% less likely to progress to stage IV cancer than patients on gliptins. Specific metastasis rates: lung 10% (GLP-1) vs 22% (gliptin), breast 10% vs 20%, colorectal 13% vs 22%, liver 19% vs 28%. High tumor GLP-1 receptor expression was associated with a 33% lower risk of death across all seven cancer types; the association was particularly strong in breast cancer (45% lower mortality). The data reframes GLP-1 therapy as a candidate cancer-prevention modality alongside the established cardiometabolic indications. Abstract 3143 will be presented at the May 29-June 2 ASCO Annual Meeting in Chicago.

#asco-2026 #glp-1-cancer-prevention #metastatic-progression #obesity-related-cancers #real-world-evidence #abstract-3143
Industry

Oorja Bio Launches With $30M Series A + Phase 1 ORJ-001 IPF Data (May 19): First-in-Class β1 Integrin Agonist Peptide Restoring Alveolar Epithelial Type 2 Cell Function

Oorja Bio launched as a clinical-stage company on May 19 with a $30M Series A from Westlake BioPartners and announced Phase 1 first-in-human clinical data for its lead asset ORJ-001 in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). ORJ-001 is a first-in-class subcutaneous peptide therapeutic — a selective β1 integrin agonist — designed to restore the function of alveolar epithelial type 2 (AEC2) cells, the lung cells that repair alveolar damage and lose regenerative capacity in IPF. Phase 1 in healthy volunteers showed therapeutically relevant exposure and favorable tolerability; in vitro target engagement in lung epithelial cells and fibroblasts ran in the nanomolar range matching achieved plasma concentrations. Preclinical bleomycin-induced lung fibrosis models documented reversal of established fibrosis and regeneration of normal alveolar morphology. The company has FDA IND clearance and plans Phase 2 initiation in IPF patients in 2026. The Houston-based biotech joins Animate Biosciences, Rein Therapeutics' LTI-03, and Avalyn Pharma as peptide-focused IPF programs.

#oorja-bio #orj-001 #idiopathic-pulmonary-fibrosis #alveolar-epithelial-type-2 #beta-1-integrin #westlake-biopartners #houston-biotech
Industry

ASCO 2026 Embargoed Virtual Press Briefing Today 3:30-5:00 PM ET — Late-Breaking Abstracts Pre-Meeting Reveal Ahead of Saturday May 30 Presentations

ASCO holds its embargoed virtual press briefing for credentialed media today Tuesday May 26 from 3:30-5:00 PM ET. The briefing previews Late-Breaking Abstracts (LBAs) being presented Saturday May 30 at the Annual Meeting opening Friday May 29 in Chicago. LBA embargoes lift at 7:00 AM CT / 8:00 AM ET on the day of scientific presentation. Notable previewed material includes Abstract 3143 (the 12,112-patient real-world GLP-1 cancer metastasis analysis), the ARACOG (AFT-47) randomized clinical trial on cognitive effects of darolutamide vs enzalutamide, and additional peptide-oncology data from the previously-announced cohort. The May 26 briefing is the first formal media-access opportunity for LBA data and feeds directly into Wednesday-Thursday cycle press coverage that bridges into the meeting opening Friday.

#asco-2026 #embargoed-press-briefing #late-breaking-abstracts #may-26-3-30-pm-et #annual-meeting
Industry

Altimmune Pemvidutide IMPACT 48-Week Analysis Selected as 'Best of EASL 2026' — Top-Tier Designation Among MASH Peptide Programs at the Meeting

Altimmune confirmed the IMPACT Phase 2b 48-week analysis on pemvidutide in MASH was selected as a 'Best of EASL 2026' abstract — the highest-tier curated designation at the European Association for the Study of the Liver Congress. The oral presentation is scheduled Thursday May 28 at 17:00 CEST in Barcelona, complementing the late-breaking fibrosis-regression poster Wednesday May 27 08:30 CEST. The 'Best of EASL' selection elevates pemvidutide relative to the broader MASH-peptide slate at the meeting (Novo Nordisk's ESSENCE semaglutide liver safety, Boehringer Ingelheim's survodutide SYNCHRONIZE-1 forward-look, Madrigal's Rezdiffra portal hypertension data) and is the meeting committee's editorial signal that the IMPACT Phase 2b data set is among the highest-impact contributions to the congress.

#altimmune #pemvidutide #easl-2026 #best-of-easl #mash #thursday-may-28
Industry

Zealand Pharma Extraordinary General Meeting May 26: Camilla Sylvest Elected to Board of Directors; Petrelintide and Survodutide Programs Anchor 2026 Pipeline

Zealand Pharma A/S held its Extraordinary General Meeting at Plesner Advokatpartnerselskab in Copenhagen on May 26, 2026. All proposals presented were approved, with Camilla Sylvest elected to the Board of Directors as recommended by the Nomination Committee. No other shareholder-elected board composition changes were proposed. Zealand's 2026 pipeline anchors on three programs: petrelintide (ZP8396, amylin analog under a $5.3B March 2026 Roche partnership), survodutide (BI 456906, dual GLP-1/glucagon agonist partnered with Boehringer Ingelheim, SYNCHRONIZE-1 obesity Phase 3 readout April 2026 documenting 16.6% weight loss), and the next-generation amylin and glucagon programs. The corporate-governance update is routine; the strategic story remains the SYNCHRONIZE-MASH Phase 3 readout expected late 2026, which positions survodutide as a leading candidate for the dual GLP-1/glucagon agonist class in MASH alongside pemvidutide.

#zealand-pharma #extraordinary-general-meeting #camilla-sylvest #petrelintide #survodutide #corporate-governance
Clinical Trials

Sapience Therapeutics Lucicebtide Phase 2 GBM Specific Data Point: 28.4-Month Projected Median PFS Versus 4.0-6.9 Month Historic Benchmark in Newly Diagnosed Glioblastoma

Sapience Therapeutics' May 21 ASCO 2026 data update on lucicebtide (ST101) — a first-in-class C/EBPβ peptide antagonist — included a specific data point worth surfacing for the Tuesday cycle. In the Phase 2 Window-of-Opportunity study (n=9 evaluable as of April 27 data cutoff), patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma (ndGBM) treated with lucicebtide plus standard-of-care chemoradiation achieved a projected median progression-free survival of 28.4 months — meaningfully exceeding the 4.0-6.9 month historic benchmark range. Six of nine patients remain alive past 22.3 months against a historical median OS range of 14.6-17.0 months. Median overall survival has not yet been reached. Lucicebtide crossed the blood-brain barrier with confirmed tumor uptake and target engagement via negative enrichment of the C/EBPβ regulon in tumor and myeloid cells. The poster session is scheduled for Monday June 1.

#sapience-therapeutics #lucicebtide #st101 #glioblastoma #c-ebp-beta #median-pfs #blood-brain-barrier #asco-2026