It’s been a rocky few months for BioAge Labs, which shuttered a Phase II trial of its lead candidate azelaprag Tuesday after the molecule caused liver-based side effects.
Obesity-focused BioAge Labs announced Tuesday it is stopping development of its lead molecule, azelaprag, after finding in a Phase II trial that the drug could potentially cause liver damage.
BioAge halted the STRIDES trial in December when the connection between dose-dependent elevated liver enzymes in patients taking azelaprag was first discovered.
Azelaprag is an APJ agonist, and BioAge announced that it is developing other molecules targeting the same pathway, aiming to nominate a new development candidate by end of year. The company also emphasized its NLRP-3 inhibitor pipeline. NLRP-3 is a protein linked to shorter life spans, cognitive aging and possibly appetite, aims to suppress food cravings by blocking the protein. NLRP-3 inhibitors have been an active area of research for the last ten years, with Bristol-Myers Squibb and Roche both going after the pathway in different indications.
Other companies, including Ventus Therpaeutics, Jupiter Neurosciences, NodThera, and Ventyx Biosciences are also pursuing NLRP-3 inhibitors for a variety of inflammatory, cardiovascular and metabolic indications.
BioAge, which raised nearly $170 million in Series D funding and $238 million (minus deductions) in an IPO in the last year, noted in a press release Tuesday that its pipeline still contains several structurally distinct but related molecules. The company has nominated BGE-102, a brain-penetrant NLRP3 inhibitor, as its next developmental foray and expects Phase I data by the end of this year.
After the windfall from the IPO in September, BioAge’s stock has shed 75% of its value in just a few months, now trading at $5 per share, down from an original $18. While still pursuing other molecules, BioAge can also fall back on its partnership with Novartis, worth $20 million upfront, to pursue age-related pathways involved in metabolic diseases, with up to $530 million on the table based on certain milestones.
Correction (Jan. 28): This story has been updated from its original version to state that azelaprag is an APJ agonist, not an NLRP-3 inhibitor. BioSpace regrets the error.
