NEWS.

HighFold-MeD2, an enhancement of the open-source Boltz-2 structure-prediction model, handles cyclic peptides containing backbone N-methylated and d-amino acids, the modifications that drive cyclic-peptide drug-class metabolic stability and oral bioavailability. The model uses Chemical Component Dictionary representations rather than hard-coded non-canonical amino acid entries, making it extensible without retraining. It outperforms HighFold-MeD, AlphaFold3, and Boltz-2 baseline on cyclic-peptide structure prediction.

A 26-week Lancet RCT in 108 patients with moderate-to-severe alcohol use disorder and comorbid obesity reports that once-weekly semaglutide 2.4 mg reduced heavy drinking days by 41.1 percentage points from baseline versus 26.4 on placebo. Treatment difference: -13.7 percentage points (p = 0.0015). First adequately powered randomized confirmation of the GLP-1 effect on alcohol use that preclinical and observational data have predicted for years.

A Nature Communications paper from the University of Manchester replaces the natural 425-kDa NRPS that assembles the ACV tripeptide precursor for penicillin biosynthesis with a standalone glutathione-style ligase plus an epimerase. An engineered isopenicillin N synthase then produces penicillin G, penicillin V, and ampicillin directly, sidestepping the semisynthesis steps current industrial production requires.

A 2025 Vanderbilt volumetric imaging study referenced in a new Endocrine review puts Ozempic Face at roughly 9% midface volume loss per 10 kilograms of GLP-1-driven weight loss, concentrated in the superficial and medial cheek fat pads. AAFPRS reports a 50% year-over-year increase in face-grafting procedures tied to the trend. Mechanistic data point to a possible direct effect on adipose-derived stem cells, beyond rapid lipolysis.

IQVIA's most recent weekly tracker put Novo Nordisk's Wegovy pill at roughly 113,354 US prescriptions versus Eli Lilly's Foundayo at 5,612. The 20-to-1 ratio reflects four months of Wegovy pill ramp, three weeks of Foundayo ramp, and a structural commercial advantage Novo is likely to widen rather than narrow.

A Discover Oncology paper builds a proteolysis-targeting chimera with a 13-amino-acid BCL6-binding peptide (F1324) and pomalidomide-derived cereblon recruiters loaded onto lipid nanoparticles. The construct selectively degraded BCL6, inhibited DLBCL proliferation in vitro and in vivo, and showed clean safety in normal tissues. Peptide warheads expand the PROTAC addressable target space; LNP delivery makes the peptide approach pharmacologically tractable.

A new American Journal of Cardiology meta-analysis of 8 RCTs and 11,234 patients shows GLP-1 receptor agonists reduce HF worsening events by 33% in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HR 0.67, high-certainty), with consistent benefits across NT-proBNP, six-minute walk distance, KCCQ score, and blood pressure. In HFrEF, no benefit was observed (HR 1.23, moderate-certainty). The split is patient-selection guidance, not a generic class effect.

A Mount Sinai paper in Nature Biotechnology shows that hepatocyte expression of mRNA vaccine antigen actively dampens the systemic immune response. An engineered mRNA vaccine that silences hepatocyte expression cut tumor burden by more than 50% in a mouse lymphoma model. The design principle generalizes beyond cancer to infectious-disease vaccines and gene-editing payloads.

Amgen's Q1 2026 update advanced MariTide on three fronts: MARITIME-1 Phase 3 obesity is enrolling, MARITIME-2 EXTENSION launched for weight-loss maintenance, and three Phase 3 type 2 diabetes studies are slated to start in 2026. The peptide-antibody-conjugate architecture supports monthly-or-less dosing, and the GLP-1 agonist plus GIP antagonist mechanism is structurally different from the dual-agonist standard.

Eli Lilly disclosed positive topline results from TRANSCEND T2D1 on the April 30 Q1 call. The triple GLP-1/GIP/glucagon agonist lowered A1c by 1.7 to 2.0 percentage points and produced mean weight loss of 25 to 37 pounds versus placebo in adults with type 2 diabetes. Seven more Phase 3 readouts are expected in 2026, with regulatory submission targeted for late 2026 or 2027.

Novo Nordisk's Ozempic pill (oral semaglutide) hits 70,000+ U.S. pharmacies May 4, the first FDA-approved oral peptide GLP-1 cleared for cardiovascular risk reduction, at $25 per three-month supply for insured T2D patients. Lilly's Foundayo, the small-molecule oral GLP-1 launched three weeks earlier, hit 5,612 prescriptions in its third week. The oral GLP-1 category finally has two products in active launch.

A Million Veteran Program analysis of 431,107 participants identified two independent variants at the GLP-1 receptor locus that each raise body mass index. After adjusting for BMI, one variant retains its association with type 2 diabetes (BMI-independent pathway) while the other fully attenuates (BMI-mediated pathway). The result refines the genetic architecture at this drug-class target.

A new Bayesian meta-analysis in Neurology pooled five observational studies covering 1,593,554 patients and put the semaglutide NAION risk at relative risk 2.52 (95% credible interval 1.56-4.72), with 118 cases per 100,000 semaglutide users. The result quantifies the safety signal flagged in yesterday's GLP-1 ocular review piece.

A Nature paper from DiMarchi, Tschöp, and colleagues describes a unimolecular conjugate combining a GLP-1R/GIPR co-agonist peptide with the pan-PPAR agonist lanifibranor through a pH-sensitive linker. After receptor internalization, the linker cleaves and the small-molecule payload escapes to the nucleus while the peptide continues signaling at the membrane. In obese diabetic mice, the conjugate outperformed peptide alone.

Eli Lilly reported Q1 2026 revenue of $19.8 billion, up 56% year over year, with Mounjaro at $8.66 billion (+125%) and Zepbound at $4.16 billion (+80%). 65% volume growth offset 13% price decline. Full-year 2026 revenue guidance raised $2 billion at each end of the range to $82-85 billion.