Amolyt Pharma Enters Into Acromegaly Research Collaboration with PeptiDream

Rare Daily Staff

Amolyt and Japanese biopharmaceutical Peptidream entered into a research collaboration to find a therapeutic candidate to develop for the treatment of acromegaly, a rare endocrine disorder.

Acromegaly is typically caused by a benign tumor of the pituitary gland, and is characterized by excessive production of growth hormone (GH), resulting in abnormally high levels of insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1). Common features include enlargement of the hands, feet and jaw. Medical complications include cardiovascular disease, cardiomyopathy that can potentially lead to heart failure, impaired glucose tolerance with subsequent development of diabetes, hypogonadism, bone and joint disease, cerebrovascular events, sleep apnea, and impaired respiratory function. The mean age of diagnosis is 40 to 45 years, but it is often diagnosed four to 10 years after onset due to its slow progression. It is estimated that there are 26,000 acromegaly patients in the United States and an additional 35,000 in the European Union.

“The potential expansion of our pipeline into acromegaly, where significant unmet need persists, represents a perfect strategic fit for Amolyt,” said Thierry Abribat, CEO of Amolyt Pharma. “Given our extensive experience in developing therapeutic peptides, including AZP-3601, our lead clinical candidate for hypoparathyroidism, we will leverage our expertise to bring a promising therapy to acromegaly patients in need.”

Somatostatin analogs, the current standard of care for acromegaly, works well for only about 40 percent of patients when used alone. Growth hormone receptor antagonists  have significantly improved long-term outcomes, yet no growth hormone receptor antagonist are currently approved as add-on therapies to somatostatin analogs.     

Amolyt Pharma is currently testing a series of small peptide antagonists of growth hormone to select a lead development candidate for the treatment of acromegaly. Meanwhile, PeptiDream is developing a novel peptide analog of a growth hormone receptor antagonist, which is designed for use in combination with somatostatin analogs.

Under the collaboration, both companies will work together to test and optimize growth hormone receptor antagonist peptides, with the goal of selecting a candidate for clinical development as a potential treatment for acromegaly. Amolyt has also acquired an option to license the identified candidates for future clinical development.

Photo: Thierry Abribat, CEO of Amolyt Pharma