California dreaming as Arecor reaches for the Skye

The partnership aims to develop a novel, higher concentration formulation of Nasdaq-quoted Skye’s CB1 inhibitor, nimacimab, using Arecor’s proprietary formulation technology platform, Arestat™.

Skye is evaluating nimacimab, a first-in-class CB1-inhibiting monoclonal antibody, in its Phase 2a CBeyond™ clinical trial in patients with obesity and overweight. Data from the initial 26-week treatment period is anticipated in late Q3 or early Q4 2025.

No exact figures have been shared but Skye Bioscience will fund Arecor’s development activities with the option to license rights to the new proprietary formulation of nimacimab and associated intellectual property to further develop and commercialise the product.

Sarah Howell, Arecor's Chief Executive Officer, said: “We are pleased to partner with Skye Bioscience to support the development of a novel, enhanced formulation of nimacimab, a promising first-in-class candidate with the potential to address significant unmet needs in metabolic disease.

“This collaboration highlights the strength of our proprietary Arestat™ technology in enabling the development of enhanced therapeutic products that can improve patient outcomes and supports our strategy of bringing innovative medicines to market that address significant unmet patient needs in high-value markets.

“We have entered 2025 with significant momentum and this marks the third formulation development collaboration to be established by Arecor with partner companies so far this year. Together these have a total pre-license deal value in excess of £1 million, and provide Arecor with significant upside potential from future licensing opportunities.”

Tu Diep, Chief Operating Officer of Skye, added: “Approved weight loss drugs have issues with tolerability and adherence, while the small molecule CB1 inhibitors raise concerns about cumulative exposure-related neuropsychiatric toxicities.

“Nimacimab already has an advantageous pharmacokinetic profile and to date it does not pose these issues. It has a potentially best-in-class half-life of 18–21 days--substantially longer than GLP-1-based therapies--and is being evaluated in a Phase 2a study with once-weekly dosing.

“Serving our goal of continuous innovation, we are pleased to work with Arecor on the goal of further enhancing nimacimab to improve patient compliance and treatment outcomes.”