The company’s lead asset is a potentially first-in-class oral GLP-1 receptor agonist that has the potential to be dosed weekly, which according to CEO Khurem Farooq can help improve accessibility and affordability.
Verdiva Bio made its debut on Thursday, looking to shake up the already-crowded obesity space with what it calls next-generation and potentially best-in-class oral and injectable treatments.
With its base of operations in London, Verdiva will have $411 million in opening funds from an oversubscribed Series A round led by Forbion and General Atlantic. Other institutional investors, including OrbiMed, Logos Capital and Lilly Asia Ventures, participated in the fundraising effort.
Verdiva will be led by former Aiolos Bio CEO Khurem Farooq who, in a statement on Thursday, highlighted what he called “significant unmet medical needs” in obesity care, particularly for “oral therapies with less frequent dosing regimens [and] the potential for improved efficacy and tolerability,” as well as those that can be combined with other medicines to achieve “healthier weight loss.” Verdiva’s mission, he said, is to “accelerate the development of differentiated medicines that address” these gaps.
To reach its goal, Verdiva will work on a pipeline of next-generation programs anchored by a Phase II-ready oral GLP-1 receptor agonist that can both elicit and maintain weight loss. According to Farooq, this asset has first-in-class potential and is designed to be dosed once per week, which “could dramatically improve patient access and affordability.”
Verdiva also has two earlier-stage amylin programs, including one that is orally available and dosed weekly and another that is subcutaneously formulated. Both amylin assets can be used alone or with a GLP-1 therapy, according to the company’s news release.
All three of Verdiva’s pipeline assets were licensed from Chinese biotech Sciwind Biosciences. The London start-up will have worldwide development and commercialization rights to these molecules outside of South Korea and the Greater China region.
Farooq will be joined at Verdiva by fellow Aiolos alumni. Jane Hughes, the former chief scientific officer at Aiolos, will hold the same position at Verdiva, while Tapan Maniar and Ashley Taylor will be the start-up’s chief business officer and chief technology officer, respectively. Mohammed Eid, former head of clinical development and medical affairs at Boehringer Ingelheim, will act as the biotech’s chief medical officer.
With its launch on Thursday, Verdiva becomes the latest biopharma player to jump into the increasingly competitive obesity market. Last month, Denmark-based Antag Therapeutics splashed onto the scene with approximately $84 million in Series A backing from Versant Ventures, Novo Holdings and other investors. Antag is advancing AT-7867, a GIPR antagonist designed to elicit superior weight-loss and metabolic outcomes when administered alongside other obesity therapies. AT-7867 is slated to enter the clinic early this year.
Fellow obesity start-up Metsera launched in April 2024 with $290 million in starting capital. A few months later, in September 2024, the biotech captured the industry’s attention when it released Phase I data showing that its long-acting GLP-1 injection cut weight by 7.5% at 36 days. Earlier this week, Metsera followed that up with a Phase IIa readout touting 11.3% weight-loss at 12 weeks.
