Following Versanis Bio’s recent announcement that enrolment had begun for Phase IIb trial BELIEVE on bimagrumab (BYM338);

Sara Reci, Pharma Analyst at GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company, offers her view:

“Bimagrumab has the potential to address key unmet needs in the obesity space. One advantage is its novel mechanism of action (MoA). Currently, patients receiving pharmacotherapy for obesity, such as glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor (GLP-1R) drugs, are required to self-administer Wegovy (semaglutide) or Saxenda (liraglutide) via subcutaneous injection on a respective weekly or daily basis. Conversely, bimagrumab employs an MoA that is novel to the obesity space: antagonizing activin receptor type 2B (ACVR2B or EC 2.7.11.30) via the intravenous route on a monthly basis.

“Further, bimagrumab is a longer-acting therapy, which significantly reduces the number of treatment days in comparison to the currently marketed and late-stage pipeline therapies. The current standard of care, Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy (injectable semaglutide), require weekly administration, while bimagrumab is administered once every four weeks. Many patients with obesity have other comorbidities, so a reduction in the number of treatment days is all the more essential in increasing treatment compliance.

“However, one disadvantage is that bimagrumab’s intravenous route of administration means that the treatment can only be administered in a hospital. Key opinion leaders (KOLs) interviewed by GlobalData have noted that, while bimagrumab’s intravenous route of administration will be an issue, the therapy may be important to patients who have a high body mass index (BMI) and will likely serve as a tertiary therapy for patients who have exhausted other treatment options. KOLs also highlighted that bimagrumab’s route of administration and new MoA will have implications on pricing; it is  expected to be more expensive than currently marketed therapies for obesity.

“Despite its high price tag, bimagrumab’s unique features set it apart from currently marketed therapies. Provided its Phase IIb trial emulates the results exhibited in the Phase II trial, this new therapy may successfully penetrate the obesity market in the foreseeable future and provide further treatment options for patients who experience clinical benefits from currently marketed therapies.”