Table 1.
Current status of the development of drugs for sarcopenia
| Company name | Drug name | Collaborator | Target | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Novartis AG | Bimagrumab (antibody) | MorphoSys AG | Activin receptor type 2B | Thigh muscle volume increased by week 2 and was sustained throughout the treatment period (June 2017, phase 2). |
| Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. | Trevogrumab (antibody) | Sanofi S.A. | Myostatin | Primary endpoint of phase 2: percent change in total lean body mass. |
| Biophytis SAS | Sarconeos (natural active ingredients) | NA | Proto-oncogene protein c-MAS-1, MAS receptor | Meaningful activity in animal models of muscular dystrophies. Good tolerability profile and no serious adverse events (phase 1). |
| ARMGO Pharma Inc. | ARM-210 (small molecule) | Servier | Ryanodine receptor | Treatment of Becker and limb-girdle muscular dystrophies as well as cachexia. |
| Immusoft Corporation | NA (cell therapy) | Bellicum Pharmaceuticals | Enzyme/protein replacement therapy | Immune system programming technology. |
| Neurotune AG | NT-1654 (fragment of neural agrin) | NA | NA | Low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 4, acetylcholine. NT-1654 accelerated muscle reinnervation after nerve rush. |
| AAVogen Inc. | AVGN7 (gene therapy) | NA | Activin receptors | Gene expression inhibitors. AVGN7 contains a gene called SMAD7, which stops gene expression for muscle wasting. |
| Amgen Inc. | ATA 842 (antibody) | NA | Myostatin, activin | ATA 842 demonstrated increased muscle mass and muscle strength in the treatment of young and old mice for 4 weeks. |
| Vibe Pharmaceuticals LLC | VB-102 (protein) | NA | NA | The drug can potentially regenerate muscle and bones. |
| MYOS RENS Technology Inc. | Peptide of follistatin | Cloud Pharmaceuticals | Furin, Janus kinase 3, myostatin | Discovery of a myostatin inhibitor therapeutic for the treatment of sarcopenia. |
| BioViva | AAV gene therapy | NA | Myostatin | Obtained from a natural source and has potential in the modulation of myostatin expression. |
| Teijin Pharma Ltd. | TEI-SARM2 | NA | Androgen receptor | Selective androgen receptor modulator. |
Source from Sarcopenia Therapeutics – Pipeline Analysis 2018 by P&S Market Research (https://www.psmarketresearch.com/market-analysis/sarcopenia-therapeutics-pipeline-analysis).
NA, not applicable.