Daily intelligence on the peptide research industry.

Pharma & GLP-1

Regeneron's $2.3 Billion Bet on Helicon Peptides: What the Parabilis Deal Signals for the Peptide Research Landscape

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals announced a research collaboration with Parabilis Medicines on 18 May 2026, valued at up to $2.32 billion, centred on Helicons — stabilised, cell-penetrant alpha-helical peptides designed to reach intracellular targets that have long resisted conventional drug design. The deal crystallises a strategic shift in how institutional capital now views structurally engineered peptides, with implications extending well beyond oncology.

01 Jun 2026

Pharma & GLP-1

Orforglipron's ATTAIN-MAINTAIN Data Clarifies the Sequential GLP-1 Strategy — and Redraws Research Priorities for Peptide Labs

The ATTAIN-MAINTAIN trial, published in Nature Medicine on 12 May 2026, shows that switching from injectable GLP-1s to oral orforglipron (Foundayo) preserved roughly 75–80% of prior weight loss over 52 weeks. For research-procurement teams, the data crystallises a new sequential treatment paradigm — and raises pointed questions about which peptide and non-peptide reference compounds will be in demand next.

01 Jun 2026

Pharma & GLP-1

Retatrutide's TRIUMPH-1 Phase 3 Data: 28.3% Weight Loss, a Pending NDA, and What It Means for Research Labs

Eli Lilly's triple agonist retatrutide delivered up to 28.3% average body-weight reduction at 80 weeks in the Phase 3 TRIUMPH-1 trial, with a 30.3% result at 104 weeks in a high-BMI sub-group. The data, released 21 May 2026, sets a new efficacy benchmark in the GLP-1 class — and is already intensifying procurement interest in research-grade retatrutide, despite the compound remaining strictly investigational and not compoundable under any current legal pathway.

30 May 2026

Pharma & GLP-1

CHMP Backs Both High-Dose Wegovy HD and Oral Semaglutide for EU Approval — What the Twin Opinions Mean for the Research Landscape

On 22 May 2026, the EMA's Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use issued positive opinions recommending EU marketing authorisation for both Wegovy HD 7.2 mg in a single-dose pen and the oral Wegovy pill (semaglutide 25 mg). The twin rulings advance semaglutide into new dosing and delivery territory across Europe — with distinct implications for UK regulatory timelines, research procurement, and the purity concerns that continue to surround the grey-market semaglutide supply chain.

24 May 2026

Pharma & GLP-1

EASO's 2026 Living Algorithm Separates Tirzepatide and Semaglutide by Indication — With MASH Data Sharpening the Divide

The European Association for the Study of Obesity has published its first update to its GLP-1 pharmacotherapy framework, drawing a clearer evidence-based distinction between tirzepatide and semaglutide. Tirzepatide now sits above semaglutide for total body weight loss, while semaglutide is the only agent currently supported for liver fibrosis improvement — a split with direct implications for research strategy as Novo Nordisk advances its MASH programme into EASL 2026.

21 May 2026

Pharma & GLP-1

Wegovy oral pill claims early US lead over Lilly's Foundayo as Novo Nordisk Q1 results approach

Novo Nordisk's oral semaglutide pill (FDA-approved December 2025) and Eli Lilly's orforglipron (Foundayo, approved 1 April 2026) are now competing head-to-head in the US oral GLP-1 market. Cross-trial data favours Wegovy on weight loss; Foundayo has a usability edge. UK launch timing is unclear pending MHRA review.

05 May 2026