Elevai Labs Acquires Exclusive License to Two Myostatin Muscle Loss Prevention Assets with Plan to Develop in Combination with GLP-1 Obesity Treatments

• Agreement adds two drug candidates to product pipeline consisting of (i) “EL-22”, a clinical stage engineered probiotic expressing myostatin, and (ii) “EL-32”, a preclinical engineered probiotic expressing dual myostatin & activin-A.
  
• Exclusive license covers global rights excluding South Korea.
  
• Clinical and preclinical data supports advancing EL-22, a novel investigational myostatin asset for the treatment of obesity for an investigational new drug “IND” application in 2025. EL-22 has demonstrated significant increase in body weight and restored muscle damage in preclinical mouse models, suggesting potential as a combination to glucagon-like peptide-1 “GLP-1” products to treat obesity.

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif., May 01, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ELEVAI LABS, INC. (NASDAQ: ELAB) (the “Company”), today announced that it has entered into an exclusive licensing agreement with MOA Life Plus Co., Ltd., (“MOA”) a South Korean corporation, with the aim to develop and commercialize two novel assets for the treatment of obesity and muscle loss prevention.

The licensed assets include EL-22, a clinical stage engineered probiotic expressing myostatin, and EL-32, a preclinical engineered probiotic expressing dual myostatin & activin-A. EL-22 has completed a Phase 1 clinical trial in South Korea, demonstrating it was generally well tolerated and safe in healthy volunteers. Elevai intends to evaluate EL-22 for efficacy and safety in combination with popular weight-loss therapeutics currently on the market, with the goal of decreasing fat mass while preventing the muscle wasting that commonly occurs with weight-loss drugs.

“This license agreement represents a transformational and strategic milestone for Elevai,” said Jordan R. Plews, PhD, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of the Company. “The adoption and use of other GLP-1 drugs has resulted in rapid weight loss and increases the desire for related aesthetic procedures linked to the side effects from these drugs, including significant unwanted muscle loss. We see the licensing of these two assets as an opportunity to provide an unmet need and expand into a large and growing multi-billion-dollar market.”

According to the CDC, 42% of adults suffer from obesity and could benefit from weight loss medication. Approved popular GLP-1 drugs such as Ozempic (semaglutide), Wegovy (semaglutide) or Mounjaro (tirzepatide) are expected to lead the anti-obesity market to $100 billion by 2030, according to Goldman Sachs Research. However, there remains a significant challenge as weight loss from the approved GLP-1 medications also results in collective loss of fat mass and lean muscle mass, which is critical for metabolism, strength, and mobility.