Corbus Pharmaceuticals (CRBP) 2024 Cantor Fitzgerald Global Healthcare Conference summary

CB-1 program updates and industry context

• CB-1 is a clinically validated target for obesity, offering milder GI side effects and oral dosing, making it attractive for global use.

• Renewed interest in CB-1 stems from Novo Nordisk's acquisition of Inversago and focus on peripherally restricted CB-1s, aiming to solve past safety issues.

• Recent analysis suggests prior concerns about suicidality with Rimonabant may have been misadjudicated, supporting the safety of new peripherally restricted CB-1s.

• Both central and peripheral CB-1 engagement are needed for optimal efficacy; the lead molecule, 913, is more peripherally restricted than Novo's Monlunabant but similarly potent.

• 913 is an inverse agonist, not a neutral antagonist, and shares beta-arrestin bias with Monlunabant, though the clinical impact of this remains speculative.

Clinical development plans and expectations

• IND filing for 913 is expected by year-end, with a standard preclinical package and no exotic requirements.

• Phase I will likely include dose-response studies in the US, with initial SAD/MAD inpatient trials followed by outpatient studies.

• Dosing will mirror prior studies, exploring increments similar to Rimonabant and Monlunabant.

• Long-term efficacy expectations for CB-1s are in the mid- to high-teens percent weight loss, based on higher dosing and historical data.

• Safety, especially psychiatric adverse events, remains a key focus, with confidence that prospective measurement will show favorable results.

Positioning and differentiation

• CB-1s may be used as monotherapy or in combination, depending on efficacy; potential for use in induction-maintenance regimens or for patients unsuitable for incretin drugs.

• Expected outcomes benefits are likely similar to GLP-1s, as benefits are primarily driven by weight loss itself.

• CB-1s have shown glycemic benefits in diabetes studies, and the IP for 913 is recent, supporting a long runway.