Xeno Biosciences may have been unable to prove that its drug delivering oxygen to the gastrointestinal tract can induce weight loss, but LPOXY Therapeutics has penned a $7.5 million biobucks deal to see whether the candidate can treat a type of bacteria.
The drug in question, now called Sidiprev, is a gut-restricted, nonsystemic compound designed to deliver molecular oxygen to the lower gut in a way that modulates the gut microbiome. Xeno had been hoping that this would mimic the microbiota changes induced by gastric bypass surgery, triggering signaling from the gut to the brain that could result in a new weight loss treatment.
Back in February 2024, Xeno secured $1.15 million in financing that the company earmarked to fund a phase 1b trial of the drug in individuals with obesity, with a top-line readout penciled in for year-end.
While the company has yet to reveal the results, Xeno CEO Dennis Kim, M.D., said in a postmarket release the biotech hadn’t been “able to prove that this was beneficial for weight loss.”
It’s not the end of the road for Sidiprev, however, with LPOXY acquiring Xeno's intellectual property portfolio as part of a deal that will see Xeno become a shareholder in LPOXY and potentially receive up to $7.5 million in milestone payments. The agreement will also see Kim join LPOXY’s board of directors.
LPOXY’s plan is to take Sidiprev into a phase 2 study in hospitalized patients with Clostridioides difficile infection. Known as one of the superbugs that resists most antibiotics, C. diff causes inflammation of the colon and can lead to diarrhea and sometimes death.
"We are excited to advance Xeno's technology in a new therapeutic direction and to begin a pivotal phase 2 study as we secure funding to support our clinical goals,” LPOXY’s CEO Larry Sutton, M.D., Ph.D., said in the Jan. 3 release.