Arecor Therapeutics and TRx Biosciences collaboration for oral diabetes treatment
LONDON: Arecor Therapeutics plc and TRx Biosciences Limited have entered into a research collaboration to develop an oral form of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist, a treatment for type 2 diabetes and obesity.
The partnership aims to overcome the challenges of oral peptide delivery due to the digestive system’s degradation of these drugs, which typically have less than 1% bioavailability when taken orally.
The collaboration will utilize TRx Biosciences’ LipiCore™ technology and Arecor’s Arestat™ formulation platform to create a product with higher oral bioavailability and stability compared to the current market leader, Novo Nordisk’s semaglutide. CEOs Sarah Howell of Arecor and Dr. Robin Bannister of TRx Biosciences expressed optimism about the potential to improve patient outcomes and expand the technology to other high-value peptides in the future.
Sarah Howell, Chief Executive Officer of Arecor, said: “As the global market for GLP-1 receptor agonists grows and their use increases, significant challenges remain in their oral delivery. With current treatment options mostly limited to injectable therapies, many patients in need are unable to benefit from these highly effective treatments.
Arecor has an excellent track record developing difficult-to-achieve product profiles by deploying our Arestat™ technology to develop unique formulations specifically designed to overcome patient-focussed challenges.
Alongside TRx Biosciences and its expertise in targeted oral drug delivery, we have an opportunity to develop an enhanced oral GLP-1 receptor agonist product. In addition, if the initial research collaboration is successful, we would hope to leverage the technology to deliver other high value peptides via patient- preferred oral delivery formats. I look forward to providing further updates in due course.”
Dr Robin Bannister, Chief Executive Officer of TRx Biosciences, said: “The effective oral delivery of peptides remains a ‘holy grail’, meaning patients that require the convenience of oral treatment can’t access the benefits of new peptide therapies.
By combining TRx’s LipiCore™ technology with Arecor’s proven peptide expertise and Arestat™ platform, we create the opportunity to access novel oral uptake channels and protect peptides from damage in the gastrointestinal tract to solve this fundamental challenge. Semaglutide, given its immense potential in the diabetes treatment and obesity, is a highly attractive starting point. Success with semaglutide may offer a path to multiple oral peptide products with enhanced absorption and efficacy.”
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