Biotech Values

[DewDiligence]

Aardvark Therapeutics—(private)—has_dual-acting_small-molecule weight-loss drug_in_phase-2:

https://www.ft.com/content/e3c4130d-494d-4f69-b5fe-81833f88caed

Aardvark Therapeutics, a US biotech group developing a weight loss pill, is planning to raise up to $200mn in an initial public offering as early as this summer… Aardvark’s lead drug—ARD-101—has succeeded in suppressing hunger cravings in patients with Prader-Willi syndrome, a rare genetic form of obesity, in early-stage trials. It has shown the same promise among people with general obesity.

…Investors are excited by ARD-101, a so-called TAS2R agonist, because it does not just activate GLP-1, …but it also harnesses CCK. This second hormone could limit widely reported side effects of nausea and wastage of lean muscle mass associated with GLP-1 drugs.

One issue that immediately stands out is how Aardvark can suitably price ARD-101 for both the rare disease, Prader-Willi syndrome and the general weight-loss market.