Lexaria Launches Second Animal Study on Oral Amycretin and Retatrutide
Lexaria starts a second animal study testing whether its DehydraTECH platform can improve next-generation GLP-1 drugs amycretin and retatrutide.
Lexaria Bioscience has signed contracts to begin its second animal study examining whether its DehydraTECH oral delivery platform can work with two of the newest GLP-1 drugs in development: amycretin and retatrutide. The study, labeled GLP-1-A26-2, picks up where the company’s earlier preclinical work left off and tests two compounds that are still moving through clinical trials in their injectable forms.
Details
The Times Argus, carrying an Associated Press report, says Lexaria signed the contracts for Animal Study #2 to test amycretin and retatrutide for compatibility with DehydraTECH. DehydraTECH is Lexaria’s proprietary technology meant to improve how active ingredients get absorbed when taken by mouth, an area that has historically been difficult for peptide-based drugs.
Amycretin is being developed by Novo Nordisk as a single molecule that activates both GLP-1 and amylin receptors. Retatrutide, from Eli Lilly, is a triple agonist that targets GLP-1, GIP, and glucagon receptors. Both have generated strong interest because of weight-loss results in early human trials, and both are currently delivered by injection.
Lexaria’s pitch is that an oral version of these drugs, made possible by a delivery platform like DehydraTECH, could expand patient access and reduce some of the friction tied to weekly shots. The company has previously run preclinical work with semaglutide and tirzepatide, the two GLP-1 medicines already on the market for diabetes and obesity.
Specific details on the study design, the species being tested, the dose ranges, and the timeline were not included in the report. The company has not yet shared results, since the contracts cover the start of the study rather than its conclusion.
Why It Matters
Most of today’s GLP-1 medicines, including semaglutide and tirzepatide, are taken by injection. Novo Nordisk does sell an oral form of semaglutide called Rybelsus, but oral peptide drugs remain hard to formulate because the molecules tend to break down in the digestive tract before they can be absorbed.
If a delivery platform like DehydraTECH could improve oral absorption for amycretin or retatrutide, it would matter for two reasons. First, patients who dislike or cannot tolerate injections might gain a new option. Second, oral formulations are usually cheaper and easier to ship and store, which can affect global supply.
It is also worth saying what this study is not. It is preclinical, not a human trial. It tests compatibility, not safety or effectiveness in people. And Lexaria does not own amycretin or retatrutide. The company is testing whether its delivery platform can work with someone else’s drug, which would still require partnership or licensing to reach patients.
What’s Next
The next milestones will likely be readouts from the animal study itself, including pharmacokinetic data showing how much of each drug enters the bloodstream after oral dosing compared with injection. Lexaria has historically published these kinds of preclinical results when they become available.
Beyond the data, the bigger question is whether a partnership with Novo Nordisk or Eli Lilly emerges. Without one, an oral version of amycretin or retatrutide using DehydraTECH would not have a clear path to market. Investors and readers should treat this study as an early step rather than a finished product.
In the meantime, both drugs keep moving through their own clinical programs in injectable form. Amycretin and retatrutide are not yet approved by the FDA, so any oral version is years away even in the most optimistic scenario. For now, the news from Lexaria is a contract signed and a study starting, nothing more and nothing less.
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Original Source
timesargus.com →