- Lexaria Bioscience (LEXX, Financial) highlights the potential of its DehydraTECH technology in the growing GLP-1 drug market.
- Pfizer halts danuglipron development due to liver concerns; Eli Lilly reports successful results for orfoglipron.
- GLP-1 market projected to exceed $100 billion annually with diverse healthcare applications.
Lexaria Bioscience Corp (LEXX), a frontrunner in drug delivery technologies, has provided an important update on the advancements in the GLP-1 industry, focusing on its patented DehydraTECH technology. This announcement comes amid significant developments from major pharmaceutical players like Pfizer and Eli Lilly.
Pfizer has recently discontinued the development of its oral GLP-1 drug, danuglipron, after adverse liver injury reports, which follows earlier discontinuations due to similar safety concerns. In contrast, Eli Lilly’s phase 3 trials for orfoglipron demonstrated promising outcomes, thereby boosting their market valuation by approximately $100 billion. Eli Lilly aims to seek FDA approval for orfoglipron by 2026, positioning it as potentially the second approved oral GLP-1 treatment.
Lexaria emphasizes that its DehydraTECH technology has shown improved performance in delivering existing oral GLP-1 medications and reducing common side effects, such as nausea and diarrhea, which often lead to high discontinuation rates (47-64% within 1-2 years) among patients. This proprietary technology is also reported to enhance bioavailability and reduce the adverse gastrointestinal effects associated with GLP-1 drugs.
The GLP-1 drug sector is expected to generate over $100 billion annually, with expanding applications in treating conditions such as cardiovascular and chronic kidney disease, obesity, and diabetes. Lexaria is strategically collaborating with pharmaceutical companies, as evidenced by a material transfer agreement with PharmaCO announced in September 2024, to further explore these opportunities.
While commercial validation of DehydraTECH remains in its early stages, the growing interest from the industry and its potential to address key challenges in the GLP-1 market position Lexaria as a significant player in this burgeoning field.
