Eli Lilly inked two collaborations on Monday, one focused on cardiometabolic diseases with South Korea’s OliX Pharmaceuticals and another for cancer therapies with Australia’s AdvanCell.
Eli Lilly went on a mini deal-making spree on Monday, inking strategic collaborations with South Korean firm OliX Pharmaceuticals and Australia’s AdvanCell to advance novel cardiometabolic and cancer therapies.
Details of the OliX agreement were sparse, with the Seongnam-based biotech revealing only that it would “receive an initial payment” from Lilly to complete a Phase I trial of the deal’s centerpiece, an investigational gene silencer dubbed OLX75016, in Australia. Further financial specifics, including potential arrangements for milestones and royalties, were kept under wraps.
OLX75016 is a small interfering RNA therapy being developed for metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH), liver fibrosis and other cardiometabolic diseases. The asset works by targeting the expression of the MARC1 enzyme, which is involved in the accumulation of lipids in fat cells.
By suppressing MARC1 expression, OLX75016 could potentially reduce fat content in the liver, obesity and liver fibrosis, all known hallmarks of MASH—and other cardiometabolic conditions including obesity. In February 2024, OliX announced that it had kicked off the Phase I trial of OLX75016 in MASH.
The OliX deal moves Lilly further into the MASH space. The pharma is currently positioning its blockbuster weight-loss therapy Zepbound for expansion into MASH, with a Phase II readout in June 2024 demonstrating that more than half of patients treated with a 5-mg dose achieved absence of MASH with no worsening of fibrosis at 52 weeks. The efficacy improved with increasing doses such that nearly 75% of patients on 15 mg Zepbound achieved MASH resolution without worsening of fibrosis.
Lilly at the time said that it has “engaged with regulatory authorities” on the next steps for Zepbound in this indication, though in its full-year 2024 business review, the pharma did not list a MASH submission as one of its potential key events this year.
Elsewhere in the MASH space, Lilly’s top obesity competitor Novo Nordisk reported in November 2024 that its own blockbuster therapy Wegovy could clear MASH without worsening of fibrosis in 32.8% of patients at 72 weeks. Novo is also seeking a MASH expansion for Wegovy, with a filing expected in the first half of this year.
Also on Monday, Lilly partnered with Australian biotech AdvanCell to advance radiopharmaceutical therapies for various types of cancer. As with OliX, the companies did not reveal specific financial details of the agreement, nor did they specify priority indications.
The collaboration will use AdvanCell’s proprietary targeted alpha platform, which allows it to produce Pb-212-based therapies. AdvanCell also has existing radionuclide development capabilities that it will combine with Lilly’s drug candidate programs to “accelerate the clinical advancement of an expanded portfolio” of radiopharmaceuticals, according to Monday’s press release.
