Verdiva aims to advance a portfolio of next-generation oral and injectable treatments with first-in-class or best-in-class potential. Credit: Nuthawut Somsuk via Getty Images.

As the obesity drug market continues to expand, Verdiva Bio has officially launched as a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focusing on obesity and other cardiometabolic disorders.

The company has secured $410m in an oversubscribed Series A funding round, co-led by Forbion and General Atlantic, with contributions from investors such as RA Capital Management, OrbiMed, Logos Capital, Lilly Asia Ventures, and LYFE Capital.

The funding will advance Verdiva’s pipeline of next-generation oral and injectable therapies that aim to achieve first-in-class or best-in-class status.

UK-based Verdiva’s portfolio comprises assets licensed from China-based Sciwind Biosciences, granting the company global rights outside Greater China and South Korea. This includes a Phase II-ready oral glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1RA) ecnoglutide, a potential first-in-class oral amylin agonist, and a long-acting subcutaneous amylin agonist. These therapies aim to target weight loss and maintenance, utilising proprietary oral delivery technology designed to enhance dosing convenience, scalability, and accessibility for broader patient populations. 

Khurem Farooq, previously CEO of Aiolos Bio and Gyroscope Therapeutics, has been appointed as Verdiva’s CEO, supported by a leadership team that includes senior executives from Aiolos Bio and Boehringer Ingelheim. In addition, Mark Pruzanski has been named chairman of the board.

“Our most mature programme has the potential to be a first-in-class, once-weekly oral treatment for obesity and weight loss maintenance that could dramatically improve patient access and affordability,” said Farooq in the 8 January announcement. 

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Verdiva has indicated plans to further expand its portfolio through additional in-licensing deals, signalling a broader ambition in the obesity and cardiometabolic space. 

The company’s approach reflects a growing trend of Western biotechs acquiring and advancing assets from Chinese pharmaceutical companies, with Verdiva joining other high-profile partnerships in the field. Chinese companies such as Sciwind Biosciences have become pivotal in the development of innovative obesity medications, with global entities such as MSD and AstraZeneca also striking deals to build their portfolios.

The timing of Verdiva’s launch underscores the increasing demand for weight-loss treatments, driven by the success of Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy (semaglutide), and Eli Lilly’s Zepbound (tirzepatide). Wegovy is forecast to bring in $19.6bn in sales in 2030, with Zepbound estimated to make $27.6bn the same year, according to GlobalData’s Pharma Intelligence Center.

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