Entera Bio Ltd. - Ordinary Shares (ENTX)

When news broke that Johnson & Johnson was in talks to acquire Protagonist Therapeutics (NASDAQ:PTGX), the stock surged before trading was halted for volatility. Whether or not the deal closes, the signal to investors was unmistakable: peptides are back. Long viewed as hard to develop, lacking bioavailability when taken orally and more complex than biologics, they’ve proven their commercial power through GLP-1 blockbusters like Wegovy, Rybelsus and Zepbound - medicines that are now addressing a billion patients with major chronic metabolic conditions, and now dominate the multi billion dollar diabetes and weight-loss markets. In short, the advent of peptide therapeutics has been redefined.

The Bottom Line: Costco (COST) and Hims & Hers (HIMS) are proving that when transformational medicines are coupled with access and convenience, entire drug markets shift. Entera Bio (ENTX), a NASDAQ-traded under-the-radar company, could spark a similar transformation in osteoporosis. Its lead oral candidate, EB613, is designed to be the first bone-building tablet, offering a simple daily treatment for millions who never start injectables. After reporting positive results in their Phase 2 trial, the FDA agreed that bone density gains can serve as the basis for Phase 3, clearing the way for a pivotal trial in 2025. With its N-Tab™ oral peptide platform, an OPKO partnership on oral GLP-1s, and a ~$87M market cap against the backdrop of billion-dollar acquisitions, Entera may be one of biotech’s most overlooked growth stories.

Viking Therapeutics' (Nasdaq: VKTX) 40% stock crash this week revealed a fundamental problem plaguing the GLP-1 driven obesity movement: achieving meaningful weight loss while balancing tolerability to keep patients on these drugs long enough to improve their potential heart, diabetes, liver and other serious metabolic conditions. In developing its oral tablet format of VK2735, Viking essentially required a daily dose of 60-120mg to reach attractive weight loss (10-13% at 13 weeks), but this came with 28-38% of patients quitting treatment within just 13 weeks due to side effects.