William Lu, founder of Microbio Group, announced on the 25th that its subsidiary, Oneness Biotech, is working on the development of a new weight loss drug, SNS851, following the success of its previous three drugs: the antibody therapy FB825, the diabetic foot ulcer drug ON101, and the anti-COVID drug SNS812. Lu emphasized that this "fourth pillar," dubbed "Happy Slim", aims to challenge the current leading weight loss treatments like the GLP-1 agonist injections. The company plans to begin clinical trials for this new weight loss drug next year, hoping to tap into the global weight loss market, which is worth billions of dollars.
Oneness Biotech held an investor briefing yesterday, with William Lu personally leading the session for the first time in two and a half years.
According to Lu, following the successful unblinding of the Phase II trial for SNS812, the world’s first broad-spectrum COVID-19 drug, another nucleic acid-based drug, SNS851, developed in collaboration with Microbio Shanghai, has completed toxicity tests in mice and monkeys. Compared to the well-known GLP-1 weight loss injections, SNS851 better regulates the body's energy balance, preventing muscle loss and appetite suppression by increasing basal metabolic rate, which is crucial in achieving weight loss. International media have reported that the next frontier in weight loss drugs focuses on preserving muscle mass, making this a highly competitive field.
Regarding the future of SNS851, Lu noted that the drug has already secured patent protection and is accelerating its preclinical studies through outsourced manufacturing (CMO) and research (CRO). The goal is to begin human clinical trials next year. Besides targeting the global market of 3 billion people suffering from obesity, Oneness also sees potential in the 2 billion people affected by fatty liver disease. The company is exploring international collaborations to accelerate the drug's market value.
Shuling Cheng, CEO of Oneness Biotech, highlighted that SNS851 operates through a novel mechanism that targets mitochondrial key genes, regulating the body's energy balance by increasing both the number and metabolic efficiency of mitochondria. The drug has demonstrated three major benefits in experiments: first, it does not affect appetite, even with a high-fat diet; second, it significantly reduces fat accumulation, positively impacting lipid and carbohydrate metabolism; third, and most importantly, it promotes muscle retention, leading to weight loss without muscle wasting, thus promoting a healthier body composition.
Oneness Biotech pointed out that current weight loss drugs from Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly, which dominate the market, work primarily by suppressing appetite, reducing food intake by 65-70%. However, they are associated with side effects such as muscle loss, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. Despite these drawbacks, high demand has driven combined sales of nearly $5 billion in the first half of this year.
In addition to the development of the new "Happy Slim" weight loss drug, Lu mentioned that the Phase II clinical results for SNS812, released earlier this September, revealed three key advantages over other COVID-19 drugs: first, it addresses shortness of breath in patients; second, it helps recover lost senses of smell and taste; third, it significantly accelerates the time it takes for patients to test negative for the virus. Oneness Biotech will continue to pursue international partnerships for SNS812 and apply for emergency use authorizations (EUA) in various countries, as well as seek funding from the U.S. Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA).
Resource (mandarin): 合一攻減重新藥拚明年臨床 創辦人路孔明強調建置藥品「第四隻腳」
