August 12, 2026

Insilico $2.75B Lilly Deal Recap, Viking VK3019 Amylin+Calcitonin Phase 1, Amylyx LUCIDITY Window, Boulevard Bio $65M Launch

Insilico Medicine BioSpace feature: 31-candidate pipeline, $2.75B Lilly deal. Viking VK3019 Phase 1. Amylyx LUCIDITY readout. Boulevard Bio $65M launch.

4 stories · Covering industry, clinical-trials

Editor's Note

Wednesday's peptide-and-adjacent news is a mix of AI-drug-discovery deal recap, mid-cap pipeline advances, and a fresh venture launch in the IgA nephropathy space. BioSpace's August 12 feature on Insilico Medicine CEO Alex Zhavoronkov synthesized a running theme across 2026: the AI-native drug discovery platform has crossed the threshold from software vendor to genuine pipeline sponsor, with 31 developmental candidates on its Pharma.AI platform and a running tally of large partnership deals including the March 2026 Eli Lilly collaboration (worth up to $2.75 billion), the June 2026 SK Biopharmaceuticals deal ($2.5 billion), and the July 2026 Takeda strategic collaboration. Viking Therapeutics (NASDAQ: VKTX) disclosed on its Q2 2026 earnings call that VK3019, a novel dual amylin and calcitonin receptor agonist for obesity, has entered Phase 1 clinical development, extending the company's obesity portfolio beyond the flagship dual GLP-1/GIP agonist VK2735 (which is fully enrolled in the Phase 3 VANQUISH program with oral VK2735 Phase 3 initiation slated for Q4 2026). Amylyx Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: AMLX) confirmed on the August 6 Q2 2026 earnings call that top-line data from the registrational Phase 3 LUCIDITY trial of avexitide (exendin 9-39, a peptide GLP-1 receptor antagonist) for post-bariatric hypoglycemia will read out in late August or early September 2026, one of the most-watched near-term peptide-specific clinical catalysts. And Boulevard Bio launched Wednesday with $65 million from Deerfield Management for BLVD101, a dual BAFF/APRIL-targeting bispecific antibody supporting a 12-week (quarterly) dosing interval for IgA nephropathy, extending the IgAN indication activity that Trutakna and Fabhalta opened up earlier in the year.

Industry

BioSpace August 12 Feature on Insilico Medicine CEO Alex Zhavoronkov Synthesizes a Running 2026 Theme: The AI-Native Drug Discovery Platform Has Crossed the Threshold From Software Vendor to Pipeline Sponsor With 31 Developmental Candidates on Its Pharma.AI Platform, a Running Tally of Large Partnership Deals Across the Year (March 2026 Eli Lilly Collaboration Worth Up to $2.75 Billion, June 2026 SK Biopharmaceuticals Deal Worth $2.5 Billion for Neuroimmune Conditions, July 2026 Takeda Strategic Collaboration), and $110 Million in Financing Complete; The Story Extends the Broader Debate on Whether AI-Assisted Drug Discovery Is a Substantial Productivity Shift or an Incremental Improvement Over Existing Tools

BioSpace published a feature on August 12, 2026 profiling Insilico Medicine CEO Alex Zhavoronkov, synthesizing a running theme across 2026: the AI-native drug discovery platform has crossed the threshold from software vendor to pipeline sponsor. Insilico now has 31 developmental candidates on its Pharma.AI platform (which spans target validation, generative chemistry, and molecule optimization for target-to-candidate discovery). The 2026 partnership deal tally includes the March 2026 Eli Lilly collaboration granting Lilly an exclusive worldwide license to a portfolio of preclinical oral therapeutics with Insilico eligible for up to $2.75 billion in payments plus tiered royalties, the June 2026 SK Biopharmaceuticals deal worth more than $2.5 billion for neuroimmune conditions development, and the July 2026 Takeda strategic collaboration across multiple therapeutic areas. Insilico also completed a $110 million financing round earlier in 2026 to advance its platform and pipeline. The pipeline itself includes peptide, small molecule, and biologic candidates across oncology, fibrosis, and metabolic indications. The story extends the broader debate on whether AI-assisted drug discovery is a substantial productivity shift or an incremental improvement over existing chemoinformatics and structural biology tools; Insilico's deal-flow record is one of the strongest empirical arguments on the substantial-shift side of that debate.

#insilico-medicine #alex-zhavoronkov #pharma-ai #ai-drug-discovery #eli-lilly #sk-biopharmaceuticals #takeda #2-75-billion-deal #31-pipeline-candidates #biospace

Clinical Trials

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, Extending the Company's Obesity Pipeline Beyond the Flagship Dual GLP-1/GIP Agonist VK2735 (Fully Enrolled Phase 3 VANQUISH Program in Obesity and Obesity/Type 2 Diabetes With Oral VK2735 Phase 3 Trials Slated to Initiate Q4 2026 Positioning Viking as Potential First-to-Market Oral Dual GLP-1/GIP Agonist); Q2 2026 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

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.

#viking-therapeutics #vktx #vk3019 #vk2735 #amylin #calcitonin #dual-agonist #phase-1 #vanquish #oral-vk2735 #obesity #amycretin #cagrisema

Clinical Trials

Amylyx Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: AMLX) Confirmed on the August 6, 2026 Q2 2026 Earnings Call That Top-Line Data From the Pivotal Phase 3 LUCIDITY Trial of Avexitide (Exendin 9-39, a Peptide GLP-1 Receptor Antagonist) for Post-Bariatric Hypoglycemia Will Read Out in Late August or Early September 2026, One of the Most-Watched Near-Term Peptide-Specific Clinical Catalysts; Post-Bariatric Hypoglycemia Is a Serious Complication of Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass Surgery That Affects Roughly 8% of Patients Long-Term and Manifests as Postprandial Hypoglycemia Driven by Excessive GLP-1 Signaling in the Reconfigured GI Anatomy; Avexitide (Formerly XOMA 358) Blocks GLP-1 Receptor Activation to Normalize Postprandial Glucose; Amylyx Q2 2026 EPS of -$0.39 Missed the -$0.35 Consensus by $0.04 (11% Below Forecast)

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.

#amylyx-pharmaceuticals #amlx #avexitide #exendin-9-39 #glp-1-receptor-antagonist #post-bariatric-hypoglycemia #roux-en-y-gastric-bypass #lucidity #phase-3 #readout-window #first-in-class

Industry

Boulevard Bio Emerged From Stealth on Wednesday August 12, 2026 With $65 Million in Founding Financing From Deerfield Management, Naming Immune-Reset Pioneer Georg Schett as Co-Founder, and Disclosing a Precision-Immunology Pipeline Anchored by BLVD101, an Internally Discovered Dual BAFF/APRIL-Targeting Bispecific Antibody Designed to Inhibit BAFF and APRIL Cytokines That Promote the Proliferation and Maturation of B Cells That Drive Autoimmune Disorders; Early Phase 1 Healthy Volunteer Data Supports a 12-Week (Quarterly) Dosing Interval for BLVD101 in IgA Nephropathy (IgAN), Extending the IgAN Indication Activity That Trutakna (Iptacopan-Related Factor B Inhibitor) and Fabhalta (Iptacopan Complement Inhibitor) Opened Up Earlier in the Year

Boulevard Bio emerged from stealth on Wednesday August 12, 2026 with $65 million in founding financing from Deerfield Management, naming Georg Schett (one of the pioneers of immune reset in autoimmune disease) as co-founder. The company disclosed a precision-immunology pipeline of three drug candidates anchored by BLVD101, an internally discovered dual BAFF/APRIL-targeting bispecific antibody. Mechanism: BLVD101 is designed to inhibit BAFF (B-cell activating factor) and APRIL (a proliferation-inducing ligand), two cytokines that promote the proliferation, survival, and maturation of B cells that drive autoimmune disorders. By blocking both cytokines simultaneously, BLVD101 aims to limit the abnormal B cell activity that attacks healthy tissue in autoimmune diseases. Early Phase 1 healthy volunteer data supports a 12-week (quarterly) subcutaneous dosing interval for BLVD101 in IgA nephropathy (IgAN), a positive tolerability and pharmacokinetic profile that would compare favorably against monthly-dosing biologics in adjacent indications. The launch extends the IgAN indication activity that Trutakna and Fabhalta opened up earlier in 2026 with their FDA approvals ten days apart in the same indication category, though those two drugs target the complement pathway (factor B, C5) rather than the B-cell BAFF/APRIL axis that BLVD101 addresses.

#boulevard-bio #blvd101 #deerfield-management #georg-schett #baff #april #bispecific-antibody #iga-nephropathy #igan #precision-immunology #trutakna #fabhalta #phase-1