NeuroBo Pharmaceuticals Stock Slides Despite Animal Study Showing Wegvoy, Liver Fibrosis Success

Author: Vandana Singh | May 22, 2024 10:55am

NeuroBo Pharmaceuticals Inc (NASDAQ:NRBO) shares were down more than 6% at last check Wednesday.

The Boston-based company announced preclinical data for its novel “G-Protein-Coupled Receptor 119 (GPR119) agonist,” known as DA-1241.

The data from a study on mice suggests that DA-1241 — combined with Novo Nordisk A/S’s (NYSE:NVO) semaglutide (Wegovy) — improves liver fibrosis. It also demonstrates additive hepatoprotective effects compared to either treatment alone. 

DA-1241 did not influence liver weight, the company said.

In contrast, semaglutide reduced body weight by approximately 25% and improved hepatomegaly in GAN DIO-MASH mice with or without combination treatment. 

There was no additional weight loss in the combination group compared to semaglutide alone. 

• DA-1241 and semaglutide monotherapy each improved NAS (≥2-point) in 21% of mice
• Combination treatment led to marked improvements (≥2-point in 80% of mice and ≥1-point in all mice), driven by reduction in steatosis and lobular inflammation scores. 
• Combination therapy synergistically promoted quantitative histology for steatosis compared to monotherapies. 
• Treatments did not significantly influence quantitative markers of fibrosis (PSR, Col1a1)
• DA-1241 and semaglutide in monotherapy lowered α-SMA levels with further improvement in combination treatment, suggesting additive inhibitory effects on fibrogenesis. 
• At the end of treatment, semaglutide reduced body weight by approximately 17% (p < 0.05 vs. vehicle control), while DA-1241 (-2.8%) showed little effect.
• There was no additional weight loss in the combination group (-19%, p < 0.05) compared to semaglutide alone. 
• Collagen fiber deposition was prominent in mice treated with vehicle compared to the normal control group. 

DA-1241 or semaglutide alone lowered collagen-positive area compared to the vehicle-treated group (17.8%, 17.1% vs. 25.8%, p < 0.05). Their combination therapy elicited a further reduction to 6.05% (p < 0.05) compared with each treatment alone. 

Price Action: NRBO shares are down 6.11% at $4.30 at last check Wednesday.

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Posted In: NRBO NVO