Pharma giant Eli Lilly is teaming up with Haya Therapeutics in a $1bn deal to find multiple regulatory-genome-derived RNA-based drug targets, as it eyes up new targets in obesity.
Under the deal, the companies will use Haya’s proprietary regulatory genome discovery platform to identify and validate long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) targets for developing potential treatments for obesity and related metabolic disorders.
Until now, Haya has focused its drug discovery platform on fibrotic diseases, cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, and cancer. However, preclinical studies – including one published in the journal Non-coding RNA Research – have demonstrated that lncRNAs also play a role in the development of adipose cells and obesity.
Switzerland-based Haya’s platform focuses on tissue, disease, and cell-specific lncRNA and RNA molecules more than 200 nucleotides long, which regulate gene expression without coding for proteins.
The company’s lead development candidate, HTX-001, is an antisense oligonucleotide targeting the lncRNA Wisper, which is associated with myocardial fibrosis and heart failure.
It comes as no surprise that Lilly is eyeing up new targets in obesity, as it is one of the frontrunners in the space. Its blockbuster drug tirzepatide, which is marketed as Mounjaro for type 2 diabetes and Zepbound for obesity is the main competitor for Novo Nordisk’s semaglutide versions, Ozempic and Wegovy. Lilly reported $5.34bn in sales for both Mounjaro and Zepbound last year, as per the company financials.
This is among a series of deals Lilly has made to identify new obesity drug candidates, including a $1.92bn agreement to acquire Boston-based Versanis and its lead asset bimagrumab in July 2023. Bimagrumab, a monoclonal antibody that attaches to activin type II A and B receptors, is currently being evaluated in the Phase IIb BELIEVE clinical trial both as a monotherapy and along with semaglutide in adults who are obese or overweight.
Lilly also isn’t the first big pharma company to jump into the lncRNA space. This deal comes one week after Bayer teamed up with lncRNA-focused NextRNA in a $547m deal. The companies will collaborate on two oncology programmes, the first involving a lncRNA-targeting small molecule in early preclinical development at NextRNA, and a new target identified by NextRNA’s platform, with Bayer having the option to choose one target for joint development.
In the announcement accompanying the deal, Haya’s CEO Samir Ounzain said: “This partnership with Lilly demonstrates the significant advances we have made with our revolutionary regulatory genome RNA-guided platform and validates the potential of targeting lncRNA for chronic conditions.”
