Peptide News Digest

FDA Approves Lilly's Once-Weekly Insulin Onswik, Catestatin Peptide in Alzheimer's Mice, Nektar Wins $90M Verdict

FDA approves Lilly's once-weekly insulin Onswik, a natural peptide curbs Alzheimer's pathology in mice, and a jury awards Nektar $90M against Lilly.

4 stories · Covering regulatory, research, industry

Editor's Note

Thursday brought Lilly news in three directions. The FDA approved Onswik (insulin efsitora alfa-gobe), which lets adults with type 2 diabetes take basal insulin once a week instead of daily, after four QWINT trials showed A1C control non-inferior to daily glargine and degludec. The same day, a federal jury found that Lilly breached its duty of good faith to Nektar over the autoimmune drug rezpegaldesleukin and awarded $90 million plus interest, and Lilly signed a discovery deal worth up to $3.35 billion with China's InnoCare for up to five cancer and autoimmune targets. Outside the clinic, UC San Diego scientists reported that catestatin, a natural fragment of the protein chromogranin A, reduced amyloid, tau, and brain inflammation in mice, though the work has not been tested in people. Few other peptide stories from the past day could be verified, so this digest has four items.

Regulatory

FDA Approves Lilly's Onswik (Insulin Efsitora Alfa-Gobe), a Once-Weekly Basal Insulin for Adults With Type 2 Diabetes

Eli Lilly announced on Thursday, September 24, 2026 that the FDA approved Onswik (insulin efsitora alfa-gobe), a once-weekly basal insulin used with diet and exercise to control blood sugar in adults with type 2 diabetes; it is not for type 1 diabetes because of an increased risk of severe hypoglycemia. Approval rests on four Phase 3 QWINT trials in more than 3,400 adults, in which efsitora met non-inferiority for A1C reduction against daily insulin glargine (QWINT-1, n=795; QWINT-4, n=730) and insulin degludec (QWINT-2, n=928; QWINT-3, n=986). Onswik will come in U-500 and U-1,000 prefilled pens delivering up to 400 and 800 units per injection, and Lilly expects U.S. availability in the coming months. It is already approved in the European Union, Mexico, and Japan.

#eli-lilly #onswik #insulin-efsitora #insulin #type-2-diabetes
Research

UC San Diego Study Finds the Natural Peptide Catestatin Reduces Amyloid, Tau, and Brain Inflammation in Mouse Models of Neurodegeneration

UC San Diego researchers reported in the journal Molecular Therapy that catestatin, a naturally occurring fragment of the protein chromogranin A, reduced the buildup of amyloid and tau, lowered brain inflammation, and improved cognitive and motor function in mouse models of neurodegenerative disease, the university announced on September 22, 2026. The study was led by Suborno Jati, with senior author Sushil Mahata of UC San Diego and the VA San Diego Healthcare System. The university's announcement did not report numerical results. The authors called the findings preclinical and said catestatin's safety, dosing, and effectiveness must be established before it could be evaluated as a treatment in people.

#catestatin #alzheimers-disease #neurodegeneration #uc-san-diego
Industry

Jury Finds Lilly Breached Its Rezpegaldesleukin License With Nektar and Awards $90 Million Plus Interest

A federal jury in the Northern District of California found on Thursday, September 24, 2026 that Eli Lilly breached the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing in its license agreement with Nektar Therapeutics for rezpegaldesleukin (rezpeg), an autoimmune disease drug, and awarded Nektar $90 million in damages plus interest to be set by the court. Nektar filed the suit in August 2023, and the trial began on September 8. The verdict remains subject to post-trial proceedings, and any judgment may be appealed.

#nektar-therapeutics #eli-lilly #rezpegaldesleukin #litigation #non-peptide
Industry

InnoCare Signs Discovery Deal With Lilly Worth Up to $3.35 Billion for Up to Five Cancer and Autoimmune Targets

InnoCare Pharma announced on Thursday, September 24, 2026 a research collaboration and license agreement with Eli Lilly to discover medicines against up to five undisclosed targets in cancer and autoimmune disease. InnoCare can receive up to $100 million in upfront and near-term payments and up to about $3.25 billion in development and commercial milestones, plus single-digit tiered royalties on sales. InnoCare will use its own discovery platform to find and advance compounds; the announcement did not specify the type of drug.

#innocare #eli-lilly #licensing-deal