NeuroBo Pharma Says Its Weight Loss Candidate Outperforms Major Competitors in Preclinical Obesity Study

NeuroBo Pharmaceuticals Inc NRBO says its DA-1726, a novel oxyntomodulin analog functioning as a glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor and glucagon receptor dual agonist, had been shown to elicit superior weight loss efficacy compared to Semaglutide and Tirzepatide in preclinical testing.

Novo Nordisk A/S's NVO Semaglutide is sold under Ozempic, Wegovy and Rybelsus. Tirzepatide is sold under Mounjaro by Eli Lilly And Co LLY. 

DA-1726 demonstrated weight loss efficacy in diet-induced obese (DIO) rats (32.6% for DA-1726 at a high dose vs. 24.0% for semaglutide, p<0.05).

The low-dose DA-1726 group showed a similar effect compared to semaglutide despite consuming more food. The high-dose DA-1726 group showed similar food intake as SEMA, however, it led to a higher weight-loss effect.

DA-1726 (250 and 500 nmol/kg) induced small but significant weight loss three days after a single injection (-7.6% and -9.5% vs. control).

The pharmacological effect of DA-1726 was evaluated compared to other competitor peptides. DA-1726 showed superior efficacy compared to cotadutide (COTA) in reducing body weight (14.4% for DA-1726 and 6.4% for COTA vs. diet-induced obese (DIO) mice control at 30 nmol/kg, p<0.05) and improving plasma glucose, insulin, and Homeostatic Model Assessment for Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR) (-91% for DA-1726 vs. -52% for COTA) in DIO mice. 

DA-1726 showed superior plasma triglyceride (TG) reduction and a similar reduction of total cholesterol (T-CHO) compared to cotadutide.

Compared with Tirzepatide, DA-1726 showed similar efficacy on weight loss and improved plasma metabolic parameters.

Joe Hooker, Interim President and CEO of NeuroBo, highlighted that DA-1726 is in preclinical development for obesity and NASH, with plans to initiate a phase 1a safety study in 1H of 2024.

Price Action: NRBO shares are up 4.35% at $0.41 on the last check Tuesday.