CORXEL Acquires Worldwide (excluding Greater China) Rights to an Oral Small Molecule for the Treatment of Obesity & Diabetes

Corxel Pharmaceuticals recently announced the acquisition of CX11 (also known as VCT220), an oral small molecule glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1 RA), for worldwide (excluding Greater China) development and commercialization, from Vincentage.

CX11 is an investigational, oral small molecule GLP-1 RA for the treatment of cardiometabolic diseases, including obesity and type 2 diabetes. GLP-1 RAs have been shown to lower bodyweight, improve insulin sensitivity, and reduce glucose and overall appetite. CX11, in a once daily orally available formulation, could offer convenience and accessibility to patients, and lower the cost of manufacturing compared to injectables. In a Phase 2 clinical trial conducted in China, CX11 demonstrated competitive weight loss with favorable safety and tolerability. The registrational Phase 3 study in obese and overweight patients in China has been initiated in November 2024. CORXEL plans to initiate a global (excluding Greater China) Phase 2 study in obese and overweight patients in 2025.

“Obesity has become a major risk factor for a number of chronic diseases like diabetes, hypertension, liver disease, and also including cardiovascular diseases such as heart disease and stroke, which are the leading causes of death worldwide. This acquisition marks CORXEL’s expansion of its cardiometabolic pipeline into obesity and diabetes, and we are excited about the potential of CX11, which has shown impressive efficacy in weight reduction, making it a potential best-in-class oral small molecule GLP-1 RA,” said Sandy Mou, Board Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of CORXEL. “Since its establishment, CORXEL has proven its strong capabilities in asset selection, clinical development, registration and partnering in manufacturing for innovative medicines. Our global team is fully committed to developing CX11 with high quality and efficiency, allowing CORXEL to tap into the tremendous obesity market worldwide.”

“We are very delighted that CORXEL will be advancing the global development of VCT220 (CX11). CORXEL has strong clinical development capabilities and global promotional strengths. We look forward to CORXEL accelerating the clinical trials and bringing this innovative oral GLP-1 molecule to patients worldwide in the future,” said Ben Li, Chief Executive Officer of Vincentage.

CORXEL is a leading biotech company headquartered in US and China focused on developing innovative cardiometabolic therapies globally. CORXEL was founded in 2019 and has been committed to bringing innovative science and medicines to underserved patients around the world. With a strong and further developing asset pipeline, industry leading talent, and patient-centric focus, CORXEL is dedicated to delivering a meaningful and lasting impact on patients.

The portfolio of CORXEL consists of 3 assets with global rights and 2 assets with Greater China rights in late-stage clinical development. The portfolio with global rights covers CX11 for obesity and diabetes, JX10 for acute ischemic stroke (AIS) and JX09 for hypertension, while the portfolio with Greater China rights includes Etripamil and LNZ100. For further information about CORXEL, please visit www.corxelbio.com

Vincentage is a clinical-stage biotech, focusing on developing novel small molecule drugs for metabolic diseases. The company has developed small molecule innovative drugs targeting different mechanisms and targets for metabolic-related diseases, such as diabetes, obesity, and MASH.