Latest news with #VerdivaBio
Business Wire
12 hours ago
- Business
- Business Wire
Verdiva Bio to Present New Data Highlighting Once-Weekly Potential of Its Investigational Oral Obesity Candidates at the ADA 85th Scientific Sessions
LONDON & SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Verdiva Bio Limited ('Verdiva' or 'the Company') a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing innovative therapies for obesity and cardiometabolic disorders, will present new data showcasing the once-weekly potential of Verdiva's investigational oral GLP-1RA and amylin analog peptide candidates at the American Diabetes Association (ADA) 85th Scientific Sessions. 'These presentations underscore the potential value of our compounds as the only once-weekly oral amylin and oral GLP-1 receptor agonist (RA) candidates known to be advancing into clinical studies," said Dr. Mohamed Eid, CMO, Verdiva Bio Share 'Our first data presentation as Verdiva Bio at the prestigious ADA meeting marks a key milestone for our team. These presentations underscore the potential value of our compounds as the only once-weekly oral amylin and oral GLP-1 receptor agonist (RA) candidates known to be advancing into clinical studies,' stated Dr. Mohamed Eid, CMO at Verdiva. 'The early clinical and preclinical data not only show the potential of these compounds individually, but also the additive effect they may have in combination, highlighting the flexibility of our modular portfolio approach. At Verdiva Bio, we are committed to developing convenient, patient-friendly and commercially scalable therapeutic options for obesity, cardiometabolic disorders and related complications. We're excited about the potential of our once-weekly oral peptide candidates to help address this global health challenge.' VRB-101: An investigational once-weekly oral GLP-1 analog This presentation highlights new clinical pharmacokinetic data for VRB-101, an investigational, once-weekly, cAMP-biased oral GLP-1RA formulated with Verdiva's clinically validated, proprietary oral delivery technology T2026. Phase 1 results demonstrated that oral VRB-101 achieved drug levels comparable to, or exceeding, those of currently available once-weekly injectable GLP-1RA therapies. These findings support continued investigation of VRB-101 as a potential once-weekly, scalable oral therapeutic option for both weight reduction and long-term weight maintenance, with the potential to exert potent weight reduction and may improve adherence via a more patient-friendly dosing regimen. Poster Presentation #069 Title: VRB-101 is a potent oral GLP-1 tablet with once-weekly dosing potential Date/Time: June 21, 2025, 12:30–1:30 p.m. Central Time Location: Poster Hall (Hall F1) 068, McCormick Place Convention Center VRB-103: Efficacy of novel once-weekly oral amylin analog as a monotherapy, and in combination with VRB-101 in vivo A second presentation will share novel preclinical data on VRB-103, an investigational potentially once-weekly oral amylin analog, tested alone and in combination with VRB-101. In preclinical models, the rationally designed peptide combination showed an additive effect on body weight reduction. Additionally, co-formulation of these peptides in a single tablet with T2026 maintained comparable plasma exposure for both compounds. These data support continued development of VRB-103 as both a monotherapy and in combination with VRB-101. Poster Presentation #068 Title: Efficacy of a novel oral amylin analog and the development of an oral GLP-1/amylin co-formulated tablet to produce high in vivo plasma exposures Date/Time: June 21, 2025, 12:30–1:30 p.m. Central Time Location: Poster Hall (Hall F1) 068, McCormick Place Convention Center About Verdiva Bio Verdiva Bio is committed to developing next-generation therapies to help people living with obesity, cardiometabolic disorders, and related complications achieve better outcomes via more patient-friendly therapeutic options. Verdiva's most advanced product candidate is VRB-101, an oral GLP-1 peptide in clinical development that has demonstrated potential efficacy in a phase 1 study in Australia, which also confirmed the viability of once-weekly dosing potential. The Company is also developing a portfolio of amylin molecules, including oral and subcutaneous agonists, and other undisclosed programs that offer the potential for enhanced efficacy and improved tolerability. The Verdiva team will harness the emerging science in gut-brain biology and leverage their history of successful drug development to advance novel therapeutic options aiming to transform the lives of millions living with obesity worldwide. For more information, please visit
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Biopharma venture financing declines 20.2% YOY in Q1 2025 amid persistent investor caution
Biopharmaceutical drug company venture financing witnessed a downturn in Q1 2025, with $6.5bn raised—a 20.2% decline from the $8.1bn raised in Q1 2024, according to GlobalData's Pharma Intelligence Center Deals Database. This suggests that the biopharmaceutical venture financing environment remains challenging, mirroring a similar downturn seen in 2022 and 2023, with investors continuing to favour later-stage companies with clinical data. Following a peak in 2021, biopharmaceutical venture financing witnessed a two-year decline that began in 2022. This downturn was driven by a wave of early-stage biotechs going public with inflated valuations, which led to a decline in investor confidence. Geopolitical challenges, rising inflation, and high interest rates further exacerbated this downturn, creating a more challenging funding environment. Signs of a recovery in biopharmaceutical venture financing emerged in 2024, characterised by an increase in total deal value and larger funding rounds. However, the momentum in venture financing activity was not sustained into Q1 2025, where a downturn was seen relative to Q1 2024, signalling persistent investor caution. Phase III biopharmaceutical companies recorded the highest median deal value at $62.5m, marking a 38.9% increase from $45m in 2021 despite a peak in overall venture financing activity that year (Figure 1). This reflects a shift towards investors committing larger amounts of capital towards companies nearing potential commercialisation—a trend observed since 2024. The largest venture financing deal reported in Q1 2025 was Isomorphic Labs, an AI biotech headquartered in London, which raised $600m. GlobalData's recent State of the Biopharmaceutical Industry 2025 report revealed that healthcare industry professionals ranked AI as the most impactful technology in the pharmaceutical industry. In January 2025, Verdiva Bio—another biotech headquartered in London—received $411m in series A financing towards the clinical development and expansion of its cardiometabolic portfolio. Verdiva Bio's portfolio comprises three drugs with rights outside of greater China and South Korea in-licensed from China-based company Sciwind Biosciences, including a 'Phase II ready' once-weekly oral GLPR agonist, VRB-101, as well as two preclinical amylin receptor agonists: oral VRB-103 and subcutaneous injectable VRB-102. To view further insights into venture financing activity globally in Q1 2025 in the pharma sector, please see our Pharma Venture Capital Investment Trends – Q1 2025 report. "Biopharma venture financing declines 20.2% YOY in Q1 2025 amid persistent investor caution" was originally created and published by Pharmaceutical Technology, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Biotech ‘megarounds' hold steady as startups, VCs wait on IPOs
This story was originally published on BioPharma Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily BioPharma Dive newsletter. Biotechnology company funding rounds remain larger than they were in 2022 and 2023, in a sign venture firms continue to favor bigger bets rather than parceling their money into smaller, but more numerous, financings. The median funding round involving one of the roughly two dozen venture firms tracked by BioPharma Dive was worth $93 million during the first three months of 2025, according to BioPharma Dive data. That's roughly equal to the median for the same period last year, but higher than any other quarter in the two years previous. Median figures for financings in the second, third and fourth quarters of 2024 all eclipsed $100 million, the threshold often used to define biotech 'megarounds.' During the first quarter this year, about $3.2 billion of the $4.1 billion in investment tracked by BioPharma Dive came via these megarounds. The largest were a $600 million round for AI drug discovery company Isomorphic Labs, followed by a $411 million Series A for obesity startup Verdiva Bio, and a $351 million Series D for Eikon Therapeutics, a well-funded biotech formed around a type of microscope technology. The total number of megarounds involving the firms BioPharma Dive tracks climbed from 42 in 2023 to 72 last year. Another 13 took place in the first quarter, data show. The growth in round sizes is indicative of a trade-off venture firms appear more willing to make in the current climate. In joining bigger syndicates, investors dilute their ownership stake, but the companies they're backing have a better chance to survive, grow and 'not be immediately back in financing mode,' said Jack Bannister, senior managing director of Leerink Partners' equity capital markets team. Many recent megaround recipients had clinic-ready drug programs that originated from China. In the first two weeks of January alone, Verdiva, Windward Bio, Timberlyne Therapeutics and Ouro Medicines debuted with nine-figure raises to fund their China-sourced candidates. The trend reflects the close attention venture firms are now paying to China's fast-growing biotech industry. Startups in China can go from launch to clinical trials much more quickly, and at a lower cost, than their U.S. counterparts, making their drug prospects enticing to investors. Programs licensed from Chinese pharmaceutical companies are also now "clearly high quality,' said Srini Akkaraju, founder and managing general partner of Samsara BioCapital. 'You skip all of this, four years of toiling away to get to a drug and prove that it does something in humans,' Akkaraju said. 'You end up paying the upfront that covers that, or maybe covers that plus some. But you're starting right here, right now, with the actual clinical-stage asset.' Venture investors are also 'increasingly behaving like private equity firms,' searching for safer bets and quicker investment returns, said John Wu, a managing director and partner at Boston Consulting Group. That shift makes a "sure thing" like a clinic-ready program from China more appealing. They're finding willing partners in China, as developers there struggle through a tight funding climate and, due to differences in drug pricing policies, face thinner sales margins. 'In order for these biotechs to actually get a return on their investment, they need to go global,' Wu said. The rise of these deals has created a cohort of startups with high valuations, which could complicate their path to public market. The result may be more 'down rounds,' where companies get lower valuations than they did in previous financings, in order to set up favorable conditions for a public offering or acquisition. According to Bannister, this valuation disconnect is a key reason why the pace of IPOs remain slow. Taking more money now allows startups to wait out the IPO market and potentially "revisit" the issue later. The additional money "is worth more than the theoretical downside of a higher post-money value," he said, referring to a company's stepped-up valuation after a large financing. The increase in round size has helped investment rebound from a recent low in the fourth quarter of 2023, when about $2.4 billion was doled out across 28 deals involving firms tracked by BioPharma Dive. Since then, quarterly totals have twice surpassed $4 billion, including the first three months of 2025. Some investors warn a slowdown could be coming, however. Sentiment among public investors is turning increasingly negative as biotech underperforms the broader market. Significant upheaval at the Food and Drug Administration has added regulatory uncertainty as well. Akkaraju expects that bearish sentiment to show up in funding totals over the next few months. "Everybody's hurting," he said. Recommended Reading Biotech startups are built on venture capital. Track funding rounds here. Sign in to access your portfolio
