Israeli foodtech startup Lembas has emerged from stealth and reported that it has developed GLP-1 Edge, a bioactive peptide that triggers the manufacturing of GLP-1 and different intestine hormones that regulate urge for food and metabolism. GLP-1 is the premise for Ozempic. The corporate plans providing GLP-1 Edge as a capsule in addition to integrating it into meals as a type of “slimming meals.”
The corporate additionally introduced that it has raised $3.6 million in a pre-seed financing spherical led by FLORA Ventures, with participation from Bluestein Ventures, Contemporary Fund, Longevity Enterprise Companions, Maia Ventures, Siddhi Capital, Mandi Ventures and SDH.
Lembas was based in 2024 by Shay Hilel (CEO), Dr. Zohar Barbash (CTO), Prof. Maayan Gal (CSO) and Dr. Daniel Bar as a startup for the invention of meals substances that may have a major well being affect utilizing AI, and the present product is its first.
GLP-1 is secreted by the physique naturally, following the consumption of sure meals, resembling meals excessive in fiber or protein. Injectable GLP-1 medication comprise a lot greater doses of the substance than the physique secretes by itself. Lembas’ objective was to search out these particular meals substances that may result in excessive secretion of GLP-1.
GLP-1 medication resembling Ozempic, Mounjaro and others available in the market underneath improvement, are given by injection of a hard and fast dose over a really long run. These medication result in a median weight lack of about 15%, which is at present the minimal threshold for competitors within the weight reduction injection market.
There are oral medication that obtain decrease weight reduction charges, and are additionally thought-about main rivals because of their extra handy type of administration.
Lembas doesn’t see its product as a direct competitor to injectable drugs, however reasonably as a product appropriate for individuals who don’t want to inject medication or who need to cease utilizing the remedy and are involved about gaining weight. The advice could be to exchange one meal a day with a capsule, or with meals with the complement.
It’s troublesome to check the effectiveness of medicines with the effectiveness of such a product, as a result of regulation doesn’t require efficacy testing in meals merchandise, and Lembas doesn’t intend to conduct an efficacy trial in people, however solely a security trial as required for meals merchandise. In animal fashions, the corporate manages to realize about two-thirds of the load loss obtained with “semaglutide”, the lively ingredient in Ozempic.
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Lembas hopes its merchandise will probably be in the marketplace in 2027, though this will depend on agreements with meals and complement firms. Israeli firm Epitomee, which developed a weight reduction capsule with a unique mechanism, signed an settlement with Nestle, which subsequently canceled the settlement after a medical trial of the product didn’t obtain the efficiency stage desired by Nestle. Lembas will face related challenges in terms of convincing meals firms that its product has a spot within the quickly growing world of GLP.
Revealed by Globes, Israel enterprise information – en.globes.co.il – on June 22, 2025.
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