Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals Inc (NASDAQ: ARWR) announced on Monday that it has filed for regulatory clearance to begin a Phase 1/2a trial of ARO-INHBE, an investigational RNA interference (RNAi) therapeutic aimed at treating obesity.

In preclinical studies, ARO-INHBE demonstrated a novel mechanism that reduced body weight and fat mass while potentially preserving lean muscle mass, offering advantages over existing obesity treatments.

ARO-INHBE targets the INHBE gene, associated with lower obesity risk and metabolic diseases like type 2 diabetes. Arrowhead's application was submitted to New Zealand's Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Authority. Pending approval, the trial will assess safety, efficacy and pharmacodynamics in up to 78 obese adult volunteers. Arrowhead also plans to seek regulatory clearance for another obesity candidate, ARO-ALK7, by late 2024.

Arrowhead is known for developing RNAi-based therapies to address challenging diseases by silencing disease-causing genes.