Orbis Medicines is developing macrocyclic peptides that address a wider range of targets and can be taken as oral pills. Novo Holdings and Forbion are backing the startup, which is based on research from the scientific co-founder of peptide drug developer Bicycle Therapeutics.
After Novo Holdings acquires Catalent, it will sell three of the contract manufacturing giant’s sites to Novo Nordisk. Those facilities already make Novo Nordisk’s GLP-1 drugs for metabolic conditions, and they will help the company meet projected demand for these products in years to come.
The future looks bright for the integrated specialty pharmacy model – for health systems, providers, and most importantly, for patients.
The company hopes to start IND-enabling studies and clinical trials next year of orally available drugs in a class currently dominated by injected monoclonal antibodies.
The Basel, Switzerland-based biotech company plans to trial the drug in achondroplasia patients next year.