Pictured: AstraZeneca's sign on its office in California/iStock, hapabapa

图为阿斯利康（AstraZeneca）在加利福尼亚州/伊斯托克（iStock，hapabapa）办事处的标志

SixPeaks Bio has emerged from stealth with up to $110 million for obesity R&D and an agreement that could see it acquired by AstraZeneca within two years, the startup said Wednesday.

SixPeaks Bio公司周三表示，该公司已从隐形中脱颖而出，拥有高达1.1亿美元的肥胖症研发资金，并达成协议，可能在两年内被阿斯利康收购。

Venture capital firm Versant Ventures founded SixPeaks at its site in Switzerland in 2022 to develop better therapies for weight loss. People can experience significant weight loss when taking GLP-1 receptor agonists such as Eli Lilly’s Zepbound (rirzepatide) and Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy (semaglutide) but they lose both fat and muscle.

风险投资公司Versant Ventures于2022年在瑞士成立了SixPeaks，以开发更好的减肥疗法。人们在服用GLP-1受体激动剂（如礼来公司的Zepbound（rirzepatide）和诺和诺德公司的Wegovy（semaglutide））时会经历明显的体重减轻，但它们会同时减少脂肪和肌肉。

SixPeaks wants to help people preserve muscle mass while losing weight..

SixPeaks希望帮助人们在减肥的同时保持肌肉质量。。

AstraZeneca sees promise in the idea. The drugmaker has committed up to $80 million in upfront and near-term payments to support SixPeaks over the next two years. In return, AstraZeneca has received an option to buy SixPeaks at an agreed price when the biotech files to study its lead candidate in humans..

阿斯利康从这个想法中看到了希望。这家制药商承诺在未来两年内为SixPeaks提供高达8000万美元的预付款和短期付款。作为回报，阿斯利康已经获得了以约定价格购买SixPeaks的选择权，届时该生物技术公司将提交研究其人类主要候选药物的文件。。

SixPeaks raised a further $30 million in a Series A round led by Versant. AstraZeneca contributed to the financing round. The biotech will use the money to push two obesity drug candidates toward the clinic.

在范思哲（Versant）领导的a轮系列赛中，SixPeaks又筹集了3000万美元。阿斯利康为融资回合做出了贡献。该生物技术公司将利用这笔资金将两名肥胖候选药物推向诊所。

The pipeline is built on an activin IIA/B receptor antibody. Studies have shown inhibiting activin signaling drives significant increases in muscle mass, leading SixPeaks and other research groups to pursue the blockade of the receptors to potentially address the limitations of GLP-1 drugs.

该管道建立在激活素IIA/B受体抗体上。研究表明，抑制激活素信号传导会导致肌肉质量显着增加，导致SixPeaks和其他研究小组寻求阻断受体，以潜在地解决GLP-1药物的局限性。

Regeneron began a Phase II trial of molecules including the anti-activin A antibody garetosmab in March 2024. Eli Lilly acquired Versanis for a monoclonal antibody that binds activin type II A and B receptors in 2023 in deal worth up to almost $2 billion. A Phase II trial of Versanis’ antibody in combination with Wegovy is scheduled to reach primary completion this week..

Regeneron于2024年3月开始了包括抗激活素a抗体garetosmab在内的分子的II期试验。礼来公司于2023年收购了Versanis，获得了一种结合激活素II a型和B型受体的单克隆抗体，交易价值近20亿美元。Versanis抗体与Wegovy联合进行的II期试验计划于本周初步完成。。

SixPeaks is yet to reach human testing but said preclinical studies suggest it has best-in-class efficacy for muscle mass preservation. The claimed benefits are linked to improved potency, biophysical properties, and pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics, plus reduced off-target binding. SixPeaks has attached its antibody to a GLP-1 peptide to create a candidate that could both drive fat loss and muscle retention..

SixPeaks尚未进行人体测试，但表示临床前研究表明，它在肌肉质量保存方面具有同类最佳的功效。声称的益处与改善的效力，生物物理性质，药代动力学和药效学以及减少的脱靶结合有关。SixPeaks将其抗体连接到GLP-1肽上，以产生一种既可以减少脂肪又可以保留肌肉的候选物。。

If AstraZeneca acquires SixPeaks, the candidates will slot into a pipeline that already includes a clutch of obesity programs. The company has an oral GLP-1 molecule, a long-acting amylin and a GLP-1/glucagon dual active peptide that are approaching Phase II. AstraZeneca sees opportunities to use the molecules in combination with other assets to treat overweight and obesity, as well as associated comorbidities..

如果阿斯利康收购SixPeaks，候选人将进入已经包括一系列肥胖计划的管道。该公司有一种口服GLP-1分子，一种长效胰淀素和一种GLP-1/胰高血糖素双活性肽，即将进入II期。阿斯利康看到了将这些分子与其他资产结合使用来治疗超重和肥胖以及相关合并症的机会。。

At an investor day Tuesday, Martin Cowie, interim senior vice president for late-stage development at the AstraZeneca group handling obesity, said the company wants “high quality weight loss, not losing muscle as well as fat.” Cowie said maintaining muscle is “super important for the long term.” The long-acting amylin is one way AstraZeneca wants to help people retain muscle.

在周二的一个投资者日，阿斯利康肥胖症管理集团负责后期发展的临时高级副总裁马丁·考伊（Martin Cowie）表示，该公司希望“高质量的减肥，而不是像减肥一样减肥”。考伊说，保持肌肉“对长期来说非常重要”。长效胰淀素是阿斯利康帮助人们保持肌肉的一种方式。

SixPeaks could provide other options..

SixPeaks可以提供其他选择。。

Nick Paul Taylor is a freelance pharmaceutical and biotech writer based in London. He can be reached on LinkedIn.

尼克·保罗·泰勒（NickPaulTaylor）是一位自由职业的制药和生物技术作家，总部位于伦敦。可以通过LinkedIn联系到他。