MetP Pharma has debuted new data highlighting the advantages of its MetP Technology in delivering neuroactive peptides to the brain.
Suitable for the delivery of semaglutide and other active peptides via the intranasal route, the solution could present a timely innovation opportunity following the sharp rise in semaglutide-based GLP-1 therapy use.
In a pharmaceutical landscape facing declining prices, expiring patents, and disrupted supply chains, reformulating existing drugs for intranasal delivery presents a key opportunity for pharmaceutical brands.
With semaglutide as a reference compound, MetP demonstrates that its platform can significantly enhance brain uptake while minimising systemic exposure — improving both the efficacy and safety of its administration.
“Delivering peptides to the brain is notoriously difficult due to their molecular properties and formulation challenges,” said Dr. Claudia Mattern, Chief Scientific Officer of MetP Pharma.
“Our MetP Technology overcomes these barriers by leveraging perineural and perivascular transport pathways, bypassing the blood-brain barrier and enabling direct and efficient brain delivery.”
Current subcutaneous (SC) and oral formulations of semaglutide — widely used in weight-loss and diabetes care — are limited by poor oral bioavailability, gastrointestinal side effects, inconvenient administration and low central nervous system (CNS) penetration.
By contrast, MetP®’s intranasal formulation significantly enhances CNS penetration, a critical prerequisite for the brain to effectively mediate semaglutide’s weight-loss effects and a potential paradigm shift in the treatment of obesity and diabetes.
Interestingly, studies have shown that MetP Technology enables:
- Rapid brain uptake (within an hour)
- Sustained CNS exposure to the peptide in question (more than 24 hours)
- A higher brain-to-plasma ratio than when semaglutide is delivered by subcutaneous, oral and intravenous routes
- Minimal systemic exposure, potentially reducing the prevalence of peripheral side effects
