Verdiva Bio has reported new preclinical data for two obesity drug candidates, including an oral amylin analogue expected to enter clinical testing later this year.

The company presented findings on VRB-103 and VRB-104 at the American Diabetes Association Scientific Sessions, highlighting the potential of both candidates as part of its obesity pipeline.

VRB-103 is a once-weekly oral amylin receptor-selective analogue being developed for obesity treatment. According to the company, the candidate demonstrated strong potency and receptor selectivity in preclinical studies and is expected to enter the clinic in the second half of 2026 as both a standalone therapy and in combination with VRB-101, Verdiva’s Phase 2 oral GLP-1 analogue.

The company reported that VRB-103 showed greater potency than comparator amylin-based therapies across all three human amylin receptor subtypes examined in laboratory studies.

Researchers also observed higher selectivity for amylin receptors relative to the calcitonin receptor compared with cagrilintide and eloralintide, findings that Verdiva believes could support improved efficacy and tolerability.

Dr Jane Hughes, president of research and development at Verdiva Bio, said: “This preclinical data highlights the breadth of Verdiva Bio’s portfolio and the potential to develop differentiated medicines for diverse patient groups.

“VRB-103 demonstrated strong potency and a high degree of selectivity for human amylin receptors, which we believe supports an improved efficacy and tolerability profile in clinic compared to non-amylin-receptor-selective amylin analogs. VRB-104’s dual mechanism of action as an amylin and cAMP-biased GLP-1RA may offer enhanced efficacy to patients. We look forward to advancing the development of these next-generation medicines for people living with obesity.”

The company also presented preclinical findings for VRB-104, a dual amylin and GLP-1 receptor agonist designed to combine the effects of two hormone pathways involved in appetite regulation and weight management.

In laboratory testing, VRB-104 demonstrated increased potency at the human amylin receptor compared with amycretin while showing lower potency at the GLP-1 receptor.

Verdiva also reported that treatment with VRB-104 resulted in 14% body weight loss in a diet-induced obesity model after 14 days of dosing, compared with weight gain in control animals.

The obesity treatment market has become one of the most active areas of pharmaceutical research, with drug developers exploring new mechanisms beyond traditional GLP-1 therapies to improve efficacy, tolerability and long-term weight management.

Verdiva is developing a portfolio of once-weekly obesity treatments, including oral therapies aimed at patients who do not respond to or cannot tolerate GLP-1 receptor agonists.

The company expects to begin Phase 1 testing of VRB-103 during the second half of 2026.