Gubra announced the signing of a new research and license agreement with Boehringer Ingelheim to discover novel peptides for the treatment of obesity. The new research collaboration builds on the successfully progressing joint research projects between the companies. It takes on a new approach to identify, validate and develop innovative treatments with the aim of improving health outcomes for people living with obesity.

Obesity is a complex chronic disease that is interconnected with other conditions across the cardio-renal-metabolic disease spectrum. It increases the risk of heart attacks, stroke, diabetes and cancer and can significantly reduce quality of life and life expectancy. The global prevalence of obesity has increased dramatically over the last decade.

According to WHO it nearly tripled between 1975 and 2016, affecting around 650 million adults worldwide today. New treatments based on a holistic understanding of obesity and its interconnections are needed to be able to offer tolerable and efficient treatments to all affected people. The new collaboration builds on the positive experience from previous partnerships.

It combines Gubra's proprietary streaMLine platform and expertise in obesity and Boehringer Ingelheimer's experience in bringing transformative first-in-class treatment options to patients in need. The companies share the goal of providing new obesity therapies with increased tolerability that support greater weight loss than current therapy options. Under the agreement, Gubra may receive up to EUR 144 million comprising of upfront, success-based development and commercialization milestones plus low single-digit royalties on worldwide net sales.