Peptide News Digest

Novo CagriSema + Zenagamtide ADA Slate, Structure Aleniglipron Oral GLP-1, EPFL Membrane-Permeable Cyclic Peptides, ADA 2026 Eve

Two days before ADA 2026: Novo's CagriSema and zenagamtide slate, Structure's oral aleniglipron, an EPFL cyclic-peptide advance, and the field preview.

4 stories · Covering industry, research, clinical-trials

Editor's Note

June 3 fell two days before the American Diabetes Association meeting opens, and the obesity field spent it front-loading data. Novo Nordisk laid out a 40-abstract slate built on Phase 3 CagriSema and a renamed amylin drug, and Structure Therapeutics teed up its oral aleniglipron, the strongest oral GLP-1 numbers yet outside Lilly. The quieter and arguably deeper story came from a Lausanne lab: a method for building cyclic peptides that actually cross cell membranes, which is the barrier standing between the peptide modality and both oral dosing and the large set of disease targets that sit inside cells rather than on their surface. The meeting that starts Friday will be measured in tenths of a percent of body weight; the EPFL work is a reminder that the format of the drug, injectable versus oral, may matter as much as the number.

Industry

Novo Nordisk Brings 40 Abstracts to ADA 2026: Phase 3 CagriSema and Zenagamtide (Formerly Amycretin) Headline the Slate

Ahead of the ADA Scientific Sessions (June 5-8, New Orleans), Novo Nordisk previewed 40 abstracts spanning pivotal Phase 3 CagriSema in the REIMAGINE type 2 diabetes program, new mid-stage data for the amylin/GLP-1 agonist zenagamtide (the molecule previously called amycretin), and IcoSema and semaglutide analyses. Novo said its obesity and diabetes products reached 45.3 million patients by March 2026, with obesity up 58% year over year, and will host an R&D investor event June 7.

#novo-nordisk #cagrisema #zenagamtide #amycretin #ada-2026 #amylin
Research

EPFL Team Builds Membrane-Permeable Cyclic Peptides From Scratch, Targeting a Core Barrier to Oral and Intracellular Peptide Drugs

A study from Christian Heinis's lab, published June 1 in Nature Chemical Biology, screened a library of 15,360 random cyclic peptides for the rare ability to cross cell membranes, then refined a lead (Peptide 30, 890.6 daltons) that blocked the intracellular Keap1-Nrf2 interaction in living cells. By engineering lower charge, fewer hydrogen-bond donors, and smaller polar surface area, the approach reaches targets inside cells without starting from a known ligand, a route toward peptide drugs that can be taken orally.

#cyclic-peptides #membrane-permeability #epfl #christian-heinis #nature-chemical-biology #oral-peptides
Clinical Trials

Structure Therapeutics Heads to ADA 2026 With Oral Aleniglipron: 16.3% Weight Loss at 44 Weeks, Phase 3 Planned for Q3

Structure Therapeutics will present five obesity and diabetes studies at ADA 2026, anchored by its once-daily oral small-molecule GLP-1 aleniglipron, which posted up to 16.3% placebo-adjusted weight loss at 44 weeks in the Phase 2 ACCESS II trial, among the highest reported for an oral GLP-1. The company has FDA end-of-Phase-2 alignment and plans to start a Phase 3 obesity trial in Q3 2026, with amylin and combination data also on the slate.

#structure-therapeutics #aleniglipron #oral-glp-1 #access-ii #obesity #ada-2026
Industry

ADA 2026 Opens June 5 in New Orleans: Retatrutide and Orforglipron Symposia Anchor a Crowded Oral-Incretin Field

The American Diabetes Association's 86th Scientific Sessions run June 5-8, with a Phase 3 retatrutide symposium June 6 (TRIUMPH-1 and TRANSCEND-T2D-1) and a Foundayo/orforglipron symposium June 8. Beyond Lilly and Novo, the oral-incretin race fills the program: Structure's aleniglipron, Hengrui and Kailera's oral GLP-1/GIP ribupatide (up to 12.1% in Phase 2), and Boehringer/Zealand's survodutide SYNCHRONIZE-1 in obesity. More than 12,000 attendees are expected.

#ada-2026 #retatrutide #orforglipron #ribupatide #survodutide #new-orleans