Diabetes coverage on Peptide News Digest is split between type-2 diabetes — where GLP-1 and dual-agonist drugs dominate — and type-1 diabetes, where the picture is more mixed.
Type-2 thread: SURPASS data on tirzepatide, the ACHIEVE program on orforglipron, recent oral GLP-1 launches (Foundayo, oral Wegovy), and real-world evidence comparing the available drugs. JAMA published a 2026 head-to-head review of GLP-1 cardiometabolic effects in over 90,000 HFpEF patients with concomitant diabetes that has shifted prescribing.
Type-1 thread: Sanofi's Tzield (teplizumab) for delaying T1D onset, the PIONEER-Teens pediatric program, and emerging GLP-1 work in T1D where heart and kidney benefits may exist independent of insulin function. See #type-2-diabetes and #type-1-diabetes for narrower scopes.
Indian drugmaker Mankind Pharma announced Thursday August 20, 2026 the acquisition of exclusive Indian rights to two insulin analogue peptides from Chinese biopharmaceutical firm Chongqing Chenan Biopharmaceutical. Products in scope: insulin degludec (a Novo Nordisk Tresiba equivalent), an ultra-long-acting basal insulin analogue with approximately 42-hour duration of action that provides once-daily basal coverage with reduced nocturnal hypoglycemia compared to insulin glargine; and the insulin degludec plus insulin aspart fixed-combination (Novo Nordisk Ryzodeg equivalent), combining basal and rapid-acting insulin components in a single injection for patients requiring both basal glycemic control and prandial coverage. Financial terms were not disclosed. The agreement strengthens Mankind's diabetes commercial franchise in the world's largest diabetes patient population; India has approximately 101 million adults living with diabetes as of 2023 per International Diabetes Federation estimates, with the burden projected to reach 134 million by 2045. Both molecules are peptides: insulin degludec is a 51-amino-acid peptide analogue with a hexadecanedioic acid attachment at position B29 that enables the ultra-long-acting profile through multi-hexameric self-association at the injection site. The Chinese-Indian licensing structure follows the growing pattern of Chinese biopharmaceutical companies (Chongqing Chenan, Hengrui, Innovent) partnering with regional distribution and manufacturing partners in India, Southeast Asia, and Latin America to scale peptide-based diabetes and metabolic drug access in emerging markets.
Samsung Biologics announced Sunday-Monday July 19-20, 2026 an all-cash public tender offer to acquire Switzerland's PolyPeptide Group for CHF 1.46 billion ($1.8 billion) at CHF 44.31 per share, a 40% premium to the undisturbed share price of CHF 31.65. The transaction represents the largest biopharmaceutical M&A in South Korean history. Strategic rationale: PolyPeptide is a global peptide contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) with accelerating revenue growth driven by rising client demand for peptide-based GLP-1 therapies for obesity and diabetes. The acquisition expands Samsung Biologics' capabilities beyond monoclonal antibody manufacturing (its historical strength) into peptide therapeutics and adds PolyPeptide's global network spanning Sweden, Belgium, France, the United States, and India, encompassing R&D, development, and commercial manufacturing capabilities. PolyPeptide's Board of Directors unanimously recommends the offer. The largest shareholder has given an irrevocable tender undertaking representing approximately 55.65% of outstanding shares. Samsung Biologics expects to complete the deal by end of 2026. The deal extends the July 2026 peptide-manufacturing consolidation wave alongside Novartis's $1.5 billion Myricx Bio acquisition (ADC payloads, July 6) and Lonza's Nona Biosciences TfR1 blood-brain-barrier deal (July 2).
Frontiers in Pharmacology published June 18 a review on enhancing diabetes treatment through targeted nucleic acid and drug delivery using cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs), peptide nucleic acids (PNAs), and receptor targeting. The paper maps how CPPs can shuttle therapeutic cargo across cellular membranes in pancreatic-beta-cell and insulin-resistance contexts and how PNAs can modulate gene expression in diabetic targets, addressing the persistent delivery problem that limits peptide and oligonucleotide therapy. The review framing intersects with the broader push toward oral peptide delivery (Entera Bio EB613, Foundayo) and platform-driven peptide-conjugate therapeutics (Bicycle, Parabilis Medicines, MultiValent Biotherapeutics) reshaping the obesity, diabetes, and oncology spaces in 2026.
The Endocrine Society's annual meeting ENDO 2026 opened today at McCormick Place West in Chicago and runs through Tuesday June 16, drawing roughly 7,200 attendees and nearly 2,500 abstracts spanning diabetes, obesity, reproductive health, bone health, endocrine-disrupting chemicals, and thyroid cancer. Saturday's plenary 'Unraveling Hormonal Complexity: Genomics, Sex Differences, and Physiology' features I. Sadaf Farooqi (Cambridge) on single-cell genomics and Holly A. Ingraham (UCSF) on hormones and brain-body physiology. Peptide-anchored programs concentrated in the hypoparathyroidism (Ascendis, MBX, Entera), acromegaly (Crinetics), and oral GLP-1 (Entera EB618 preclinical) tracks; oncology-peptide tracks include OAR-targeted radioligand abstracts and copper-peptide bone-resorption work.
A team at Kumamoto University led by Associate Professor Shingo Ito developed a cyclic peptide (D-DNP-V) that ferries insulin across the small intestine. Combined with zinc-stabilized insulin hexamers and given orally to diabetes models, the platform rapidly normalized blood sugar with once-daily dosing for three consecutive days. A click-chemistry-conjugated DNP-insulin molecule performed equivalently, substantially reducing the high doses that have historically plagued oral insulin.
Patients switching from dulaglutide to tirzepatide reported greater improvement in weight-related self-perception at week 40, highlighting benefits beyond glycemic control.
Kumamoto University's DNP cyclic peptide system achieved roughly one-third to nearly half the effectiveness of injected insulin in animal studies — a major advance for oral insulin delivery.
Kumamoto University researchers developed cyclic peptide D-DNP-V that escorts insulin through the gut, achieving one-third to nearly half the effectiveness of injected insulin in mice.
Kumamoto University researchers developed a cyclic peptide (DNP peptide) that enables oral insulin delivery through the intestinal wall — a dramatic improvement that could end the century-long dependence on injections.