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SixPeaks Debuts With Obesity Candidates And AstraZeneca Seal Of Approval

 
• By Alaric DeArment

The start-up plans to enter the clinic next year with a muscle-sparing activin receptor IIA/B antibody, while AstraZeneca has an exclusive option to acquire the company.

• Source: Shutterstock

SixPeaks Bio AG has come out of stealth with a pocket full of cash that it plans to use to develop drugs to treat obesity, while tackling a problem that has cropped up with the GLP-1 agonists, namely the loss of muscle mass that occurs alongside weight loss.

The Basel, Switzerland-headquartered biotech said 22 May that it had secured $30m in a series A funding round led by Versant Ventures, along with up to $80m in non-dilutive financing through a partnership with British drug maker AstraZeneca PLC over the next two years, during which AstraZeneca gets exclusive rights to acquire the start-up

Key Takeaways

  • SixPeaks Bio emerged from stealth with a $30m series A round and up to $80m from AstraZeneca.

  • The company is developing an antibody targeting ActRIIA/B in obesity that spares lean tissue, and it is aiming to file an IND in the second half of next year

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