Peptide News Digest

#Phase-2b

4 stories

Clinical Trials · View digest

Structure Therapeutics (NASDAQ: GPCR) Anchored the Obesity Runner-Up Narrative With the Phase 2b ACCESS II Trial of Aleniglipron (Once-Daily Oral Small-Molecule GLP-1 Receptor Agonist) That Documented 16.3% Placebo-Adjusted Mean Weight Loss at the 180 mg Dose (39 lbs) and 16.0% Weight Loss at the 240 mg Dose (37 lbs) at 44 Weeks Positioning Aleniglipron as the Highest-Efficacy Oral GLP-1 Agonist Data Reported to Date; The Core Phase 2b ACCESS Study Had Documented 11.3% Weight Loss at 120 mg at 36 Weeks; ACCESS Open-Label Extension (OLE) Study Documented Continued Weight Loss From 36 Weeks Up to 16.2% (40.5 lbs) With 120 mg at 56 Weeks With No Observed Plateau; Tolerability Profile Consistent With the GLP-1 Class With Only 3.7% Adverse-Event-Related Treatment Discontinuation Across All Active Arms at 120 mg or Higher From Weeks 28 to 44; Phase 3 Initiation Expected in H2 2026

Structure Therapeutics (NASDAQ: GPCR) reported detailed Phase 2b ACCESS II trial results for aleniglipron (once-daily oral small-molecule GLP-1 receptor agonist for obesity). Key efficacy: 16.3% placebo-adjusted mean weight loss at the 180 mg dose (39 lbs) and 16.0% weight loss at the 240 mg dose (37 lbs) at 44 weeks. This positions aleniglipron as the highest-efficacy oral GLP-1 agonist data reported to date, above Eli Lilly's orforglipron (Foundayo, 7.5-11.2% at 72 weeks in ATTAIN-1) and Novo Nordisk's Wegovy pill (oral semaglutide 25/50 mg, roughly 15% at 68 weeks in OASIS 4). The core Phase 2b ACCESS study had documented 11.3% placebo-adjusted weight loss at 120 mg at 36 weeks. The ACCESS Open-Label Extension (OLE) study documented continued weight loss from 36 weeks up to 16.2% (40.5 lbs) with 120 mg at 56 weeks with no observed plateau, an important tolerability and durability signal. Tolerability profile is consistent with the GLP-1 receptor agonist class with only 3.7% adverse-event-related treatment discontinuation across all active arms in participants who reached 120 mg or higher from weeks 28 to 44. Phase 3 initiation is expected in H2 2026. Aleniglipron is a non-peptide small molecule that binds the GLP-1 receptor, similar to Lilly's orforglipron but distinct from the peptide-based semaglutide and tirzepatide; the small-molecule format provides manufacturing scalability advantages over peptide APIs.

Industry · View digest

Veru Inc. Presents Pre-Conference Workshop Session 'Moving Beyond BMI & Weight-Loss Endpoints to Advance the Regulatory Frontier & Redefine Clinical Success With the FDA' at the 4th Annual Obesity & Weight Loss Drug Development Summit in Boston on Tuesday July 14 at 1:30 PM ET, With CEO Mitchell Steiner Following on Wednesday July 15 With 'Combating Sarcopenic Obesity in Geriatrics by Combining GLP-1s With Selective Androgen Receptor Modulators (SARMs) to Prevent Muscle Loss' — Veru's Enobosarm-Plus-GLP-1 Program Anchors the Muscle-Preservation Thesis for Weight-Loss Therapy

Veru Inc. (NASDAQ: VERU), a late clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on cardiometabolic and inflammatory diseases, presented at the 4th Annual Obesity & Weight Loss Drug Development Summit in Boston, Massachusetts on Tuesday July 14, 2026. Gary Barnette, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer, led the pre-conference workshop 'Moving Beyond BMI & Weight-Loss Endpoints to Advance the Regulatory Frontier & Redefine Clinical Success With the FDA' at 1:30 PM ET. On Wednesday July 15 at 4:20 PM ET, Chairman, President and CEO Mitchell Steiner, MD will present 'Combating Sarcopenic Obesity in Geriatrics by Combining GLP-1s With Selective Androgen Receptor Modulators (SARMs) to Prevent Muscle Loss.' Veru's lead asset enobosarm is a selective androgen receptor modulator (SARM) in Phase 2b development for muscle-loss prevention in older patients receiving GLP-1 receptor agonists for weight loss. The sarcopenic-obesity thesis directly addresses a widely documented GLP-1 side effect: approximately 25-40% of GLP-1-associated weight loss is lean muscle mass rather than fat, particularly in older patients. Veru's approach pairs the GLP-1 with a SARM to preserve muscle while maintaining fat loss.

Clinical Trials · View digest

Pfizer Berobenatide VESPER-1 Phase 2b at ADA 2026: 15.9% Weight Loss at 32 Weeks With No Plateau, Monthly Dosing Profile

Pfizer presented Phase 2b VESPER-1 data for berobenatide (PF-07976094 / PF'3944), the ultra-long-acting injectable GLP-1 peptide engineered for monthly dosing through a 0.5 mL low-volume injection. At ADA 2026, the 2.4 mg weekly dose drove up to 15.9% mean weight loss at 32 weeks with no plateau across the VESPER program, plus improved glycemic control and favorable tolerability. Pfizer plans more than 20 obesity-related trials in 2026, including 10 Phase 3 studies of berobenatide in chronic weight management, knee osteoarthritis, and obstructive sleep apnea. The asset entered Pfizer's pipeline through the $4.9 billion Metsera acquisition.

Clinical Trials · View digest

Liraglutide ELAD Phase 2b in Mild-to-Moderate Alzheimer's: Multicenter RCT Continues Driving GLP-1 Neurology Discussion

The ELAD trial — a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase 2b study of liraglutide in 204 mild-to-moderate Alzheimer's disease participants — published in Nature Medicine (online December 2025) continues to drive clinical-research discussions about GLP-1s in neurodegeneration. Coming after the Phase 3 EVOKE trials' negative cognition results, ELAD's intermediate-stage findings are being parsed for endpoints, mechanisms, and biomarker patterns that may guide future trial design in this contested indication.