UK-based startup Kyttaro and Eli Lilly have announced a new licensing deal.
The deal states that Kyttaro will be developing Lilly’s first-in-class clinical-stage anti-angiopoietin-like 3/8 monoclonal antibody for the treatment of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease and potentially other conditions.
Kyttaro was launched in 2021 to commercialize technologies developed by the founders of Apceth Biopharma, with a focus on cardiovascular diseases. The company is headquartered in the U.S., with research operations in Germany.
ANGPTL 3 and 8 inhibit LPL, a chemical that metabolizes and breaks down triglycerides in the blood. By blocking ANGPTL 3 and 8 the antibodies in question ‘inhibit the inhibitor,’ increasing the amount of LPL in the blood and lowering the number of triglycerides.
The drug has proven beneficial for individuals with loss-of-function in ANGPTL3 and ANGPTL8 proteins, with studies reporting patients having low levels of LDL and significantly reduced incidence of cardiovascular disease.
Kyttaro estimates that approximately 65 million people or 25% of the United States adult population have (HTG) hypertriglyceridemia, or higher levels of ‘bad cholesterol’ levels, and over three million are suffering from (SHTG) severe hypertriglyceridemia.