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 form 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, Recent 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 components that may have a big well being influence 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 include a lot greater doses of the substance than the physique secretes by itself. Lembas’ aim was to seek out these particular meals components that may result in excessive secretion of GLP-1.
GLP-1 medication resembling Ozempic, Mounjaro and others out there below improvement, are given by injection of a hard and fast dose over a really long run. These medication result in a mean weight lack of about 15%, which is at the moment 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 resulting from their extra handy type of administration.
Lembas doesn’t see its product as a direct competitor to injectable drugs, however fairly as a product appropriate for individuals who don’t want to inject medication or who need to cease utilizing the treatment and are involved about gaining weight. The advice can be to interchange one meal a day with a capsule, or with meals with the complement.
It’s tough to match 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 burden loss obtained with “semaglutide”, the energetic ingredient in Ozempic.
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Lembas hopes its merchandise will likely be available on the market in 2027, though this depends upon agreements with meals and complement firms. Israeli firm Epitomee, which developed a weight reduction capsule with a special mechanism, signed an settlement with Nestle, which subsequently canceled the settlement after a medical trial of the product didn’t obtain the efficiency degree desired by Nestle. Lembas will face related challenges in the case 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.
© Copyright of Globes Writer Itonut (1983) Ltd., 2025.
