Peptide News Digest

Rasonque FDA Approval Pancreatic Cancer, Biohaven-SK $795M Kv7 Deal, Cellares Layoffs, AstraZeneca AZD6234 EASD Preview

FDA approves Rasonque for pancreatic cancer, Biohaven licenses Kv7 to SK for $795M, BMS ends Cellares alliance, AstraZeneca amylin data at EASD.

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

Editor's Note

Thursday's news is thinner on peptide-specific headlines and thicker on adjacent industry moves that shape the surrounding therapeutic and manufacturing landscape. Revolution Medicines' FDA approval of Rasonque (daraxonrasib) for metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma is the day's marquee regulatory event: a small molecule, not a peptide, but the first broad RAS-targeted medicine and a reminder that the oncology backdrop the neoantigen peptide vaccine class (intismeran, personalized long-peptide programs) enters keeps hardening around targeted therapies. Biohaven's $795 million Kv7 license to SK Biopharmaceuticals, Bristol Myers Squibb walking away from its Cellares CAR-T manufacturing pact, and Nicox's NCX 470 NDA acceptance round out an ex-peptide day of business development. On the peptide side, AstraZeneca's AZD6234 amylin agonist is queued for EASD data in Rome September 28 through October 2, which will be the next real read on where amylin monotherapy sits relative to the CagriSema combination and Metsera's MET-233i. And after the July PCAC vote cleared six compounded peptides, the FDA still has not issued a proposed rule, notice, or interim policy — the regulatory gray zone the compounding channel has occupied since April now stretches into month five.

FDA Approves Revolution Medicines Rasonque (Daraxonrasib) for Metastatic Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma

The FDA on Wednesday August 26, 2026 approved Rasonque (daraxonrasib, a once-daily oral pan-RAS inhibitor developed by Revolution Medicines) for adults with metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma who have received at least one prior systemic therapy or are not candidates for multi-agent chemotherapy. Approval was based on the Phase 3 RASolute 302 trial across 500 previously-treated patients showing median overall survival of 13.2 months on Rasonque versus 6.7 months on standard chemotherapy. The drug does not require a companion diagnostic and is approved for patients with or without an identifiable RAS tumor mutation. FDA granted Breakthrough Therapy and Orphan Drug designations plus Priority Review. Daraxonrasib is a small molecule and not a peptide; the approval matters to peptide-relevant readers because it hardens the oncology backdrop the neoantigen peptide vaccine class (Merck-Moderna intismeran, individualized long-peptide programs) is entering, and because it validates a new mechanism class in a tumor where five-year survival has stalled near 13% for two decades.

Biohaven Licenses Kv7 Ion Channel Platform and Opakalim Epilepsy Candidate to SK Biopharmaceuticals for Up to $795 Million

Biohaven Ltd. (NYSE: BHVN) on Wednesday August 26, 2026 signed an exclusive, royalty-bearing worldwide license with SK Biopharmaceuticals for its Kv7 ion channel platform led by opakalim (BHV-7000, a selective Kv7.2/7.3 potassium channel activator in Phase 2/3 for focal epilepsy). Deal terms: upfront and milestone payments up to $795 million plus tiered royalties from the mid-teens to low twenties on U.S. net sales of opakalim, with SK Biopharmaceuticals responsible for development, regulatory filings, and commercialization in the United States, Europe, and Japan. The Phase 2/3 RISE3 trial for opakalim is ongoing with topline data expected in H2 2026. Biohaven shares jumped roughly 13% on the announcement. Opakalim is a small-molecule ion channel activator and not a peptide; the deal is included here because it is one of the largest neuroscience licensing transactions of the year and continues the pattern of Korean pharma partners (SK, Hanmi, Yuhan) becoming serious in-licensing counterparties for U.S. biotechs seeking non-dilutive capital.

Bristol Myers Squibb Ends Cellares Cell-Therapy Alliance; Cellares Announces 100 Layoffs After Loss of Anchor Customer

Bristol Myers Squibb (NYSE: BMY) on Wednesday August 26, 2026 ended its cell therapy manufacturing alliance with Cellares (South San Francisco) after finding that Cellares' Cell Shuttle automated production system failed to meet the requirements for making the CAR-T immunotherapy Breyanzi (lisocabtagene maraleucel). BMS and Cellares had signed a $380 million global capacity reservation and supply agreement in 2024 that positioned BMS to use Cell Shuttle for end-to-end automated CAR-T production at clinical and commercial scales. Cellares announced 100 layoffs (roughly 20% of the workforce) in response to the loss of the contract, coming just two months after closing a $327 million Series D. Cellares CEO Fabian Gerlinghaus said the company will 'resize' operations. The story is a data point on the fragility of contract cell-therapy manufacturing platforms and, by extension, a caution flag on the parallel automated-peptide-synthesis vendor category as GLP-1 and next-gen peptide production leans further on continuous-flow and automated platforms.

AstraZeneca AZD6234 Amylin Peptide Agonist Phase 2 Data Queued for EASD 2026 in Rome September 28 to October 2

AstraZeneca's AZD6234 (a long-acting selective amylin receptor peptide agonist, weekly subcutaneous, currently in Phase 2 for obesity and type 2 diabetes) is queued for Phase 2 data presentations at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) 61st Annual Meeting in Rome September 28 to October 2, 2026. Trials on deck: APRICUS (obesity monotherapy) primary data 'imminent' per management; ARAY (NCT06851858, AZD6234 in obesity and type 2 diabetes on stable GLP-1 background); and the ASCEND Phase 2b (NCT06862791, 377 patients) that tests AZD6234 monotherapy, AZD9550 (AZ's GLP-1/glucagon dual agonist) monotherapy, and the combination against placebo over 36 weeks. Preliminary characterization suggests body-fat-selective weight loss and a generally tolerable profile. The readouts will provide a direct comparator against Novo Nordisk's CagriSema (semaglutide plus cagrilintide) and Metsera's MET-233i (monthly amylin) and set the near-term valuation frame for AZ's metabolic disease positioning after the $1.2 billion CSPC obesity licensing announced in January.

PCAC Peptide Vote Enters Month Five With No FDA Proposed Rule, Notice, or Interim Policy

The Pharmacy Compounding Advisory Committee (PCAC) recommended on July 23-24, 2026 that six peptides (BPC-157, KPV, TB-500, MOTS-c, Semax, Epitalon) be added to the Section 503A Bulk Drug Substances List, with only Emideltide (DSIP) falling short. As of Wednesday August 26, 2026 the FDA has issued no proposed rule, no Federal Register notice, no interim enforcement policy, and no draft guidance following the recommendation. The agency stated it will 'review the record.' Removal from Category 2 in April did not automatically place these substances on the 503A bulks list; they exist in a regulatory gray zone until the PCAC recommendation is formally acted upon, a process that typically runs a year or longer. Warning-letter activity from CDER to compounding pharmacies is up roughly 50% year-over-year in FY 2025. The next PCAC meeting is scheduled for February 2027 to review cathelicidin (LL-37), GHK-Cu, dihexa acetate, melanotan II, and PEG-MGF.

Nicox NCX 470 NDA Accepted for Review With April 30, 2027 PDUFA Target Action Date

Nicox SA (Euronext: COX) announced Wednesday August 26, 2026 that the FDA accepted the New Drug Application for NCX 470 (bimatoprost-nitric oxide donor, a once-daily topical eye drop for the reduction of intraocular pressure in open-angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension) with a PDUFA target action date of April 30, 2027. NCX 470 combines the FDA-approved prostaglandin analog bimatoprost with a nitric-oxide-releasing moiety intended to add trabecular meshwork outflow to the standard uveoscleral outflow mechanism, and completed two positive Phase 3 studies (Mont Blanc and Denali). Not a peptide, but the readout matters as ophthalmology continues to be a Phase 3 register hub for peptide programs (Palatin's PL9643 melanocortin-4 receptor agonist for dry eye) that would follow the same combination-with-standard-of-care commercial pattern if approved.

Arrowhead ARO-INHBE Plus Tirzepatide EASL 2026 Data Show Enhanced Visceral Fat and Liver Fat Reduction Versus Tirzepatide Alone

Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: ARWR) presented updated Phase 1/2a data on ARO-INHBE (an RNA interference therapeutic targeting Activin E) and ARO-ALK7 (RNAi targeting ALK7 receptor) at EASL 2026. Standalone data: ARO-INHBE monotherapy achieved mean visceral fat reduction of -9.9% at week 16 after a single dose and -15.6% placebo-adjusted after two doses at week 24, with a single dose increasing lean muscle tissue by 3.6%; ARO-ALK7 monotherapy achieved -14.1% placebo-adjusted visceral fat reduction at week 8 after a single dose. Combination data: ARO-INHBE plus low-dose tirzepatide (5 mg) enhanced reductions in visceral adipose tissue and liver fat content versus tirzepatide alone in participants with obesity with or without type 2 diabetes. Mean maximum Activin E reduction reached 85.3% at the 400 mg dose with persistent effect beyond 3 months. Additional 2026 readouts expected. The data extend the case for RNAi as a non-peptide, quarterly-dosed obesity add-on capable of shifting body composition rather than just body weight.

Pfizer Discontinues MET-224o Oral GLP-1 (Ex-Metsera) in Q2 Portfolio Clearout, Leaves Only PF-08642534 in Oral Obesity Pipeline

Pfizer (NYSE: PFE) in its Q2 2026 quarterly clearout discontinued clinical development of MET-224o, an oral fully-biased ultra-long-acting GLP-1 receptor agonist in Phase 1 for chronic weight management that came over in the $10 billion Metsera acquisition completed November 2025. MET-224o was developed by D&D Pharmatech (KOSDAQ: 259540) using its ORALINK oral peptide delivery platform. D&D Pharmatech stated the discontinuation was a strategic decision by Pfizer to focus on differentiated products as a late entrant in the oral obesity market rather than a technical issue with the platform. With MET-224o out, Pfizer's oral obesity pipeline collapses to a single asset: PF-08642534 (Pfizer's name for YP05002). The pruning continues Pfizer's pattern of aggressive Metsera-portfolio triage (a GIPR prospect was also dropped in the same clearout) and narrows an already-crowded oral GLP-1 field where Lilly's Foundayo (orforglipron) and Novo's Wegovy pill (oral semaglutide 25/50 mg) are already commercial.

Samsung Biologics PolyPeptide Tender Offer Prospectus Set to Publish by End of August, 20 Trading Day Offer Period

Samsung Biologics' $1.8 billion (CHF 1.46 billion) all-cash tender offer for Swiss peptide CDMO PolyPeptide Group (SIX: PPGN) is scheduled to publish the formal offer prospectus by the end of August 2026, following the mandatory 10 trading-day cooling-off period under Swiss takeover law. Terms: CHF 44.31 per share (40% premium to the CHF 31.65 undisturbed price on April 10, 2026). The offer will run for a minimum of 20 trading days on SIX Swiss Exchange and is conditioned on at least 66⅔% of shares tendered on a fully diluted basis plus customary regulatory approvals. Deal close is targeted for end of 2026, after which Samsung intends to squeeze out remaining minorities and delist PolyPeptide. The transaction would give Samsung Biologics one of the top three peptide CDMO capacity positions globally, integrated with Samsung's existing multi-modality biologics network across the U.S., Europe, and India.

AI-Designed Antimicrobial Peptide Class CAMPER Advances Against MRSA Persister Cells; Self-Assembling RFC Peptide Mimics Neutrophil Extracellular Traps

Two 2026 antimicrobial peptide research programs continue to press on multidrug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. CAMPER (a mechanistic artificial intelligence system for designing peptides that target MRSA persister cells, published 2026) generated a new class of AMPs that reach the metabolically dormant persister subpopulation that survives conventional antibiotic exposure and drives biofilm relapse. Li et al. (2026) developed RFC, a self-assembling peptide that mimics the structure and function of neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs), forming nanofibrillar networks that entrap bacteria and disrupt their membranes. Separate work published this year characterized photo-responsive amyloid nanoNETs from lysozyme-derived nanofibrils that combine antibacterial activity against MRSA with promotion of tissue regeneration under near-infrared stimulation. Synergistic combinations with existing antibiotics (nisin, indolicidin, and α-MSH analogs with β-lactams) continue to show improved anti-biofilm efficacy in vitro. The programs are still preclinical but keep antimicrobial peptides in serious development at a time when the small-molecule antibiotic pipeline remains thin.