MIRA Pharmaceuticals, Inc. MIRA on Monday revealed new animal study results from SKNY-1, a next-generation oral therapeutic.
The company says the findings further support the advancement of SKNY-1 toward Investigational New Drug (IND) enabling studies.
With obesity and smoking representing two of the leading causes of preventable death and a combined global market opportunity exceeding $200 billion, MIRA intends to prioritize SKNY-1 as a potential cornerstone asset pending the completion of the acquisition of SKNY Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
In a zebrafish model that mimics human obesity and craving behaviors, SKNY-1 demonstrated weight loss, suppression of appetite and craving for high-calorie diets, and reversal of nicotine-seeking behavior—all achieved within six days of oral treatment.
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SKNY-1 is being developed as an oral alternative to GLP-1 injectables, which are often limited by nausea, GI discomfort, injection reaction, and growing concerns around muscle loss.
Key Results
SKNY-1 reduced body weight by approximately 30% after six days of oral treatment. Treated animals weighed about 10% less than healthy controls. The company said the weight loss was not accompanied by muscle density changes.
Treated animals showed an increase in breathing rate, which is a reliable signal that their metabolism was speeding up.
In untreated obese animals, fat buildup in the liver was about 50% higher than normal. SKNY-1 reversed this buildup, bringing liver fat back to healthy levels. At the same time, cholesterol levels—including LDL (‘bad’ cholesterol) and HDL (‘good’ cholesterol)—also returned to normal without affecting fat levels in the blood.
Obese animals were eating 2–3 times more high-calorie food than normal. SKNY-1 dose-dependently reduced the behavior—high-dose animals ate less than healthy controls. The drug also made the animals less likely to pursue food in stressful environments and reduced obsessive food-seeking in tests designed to measure craving.
SKNY-1 significantly reduced the desire to seek out and consume nicotine. At the high dose, their behavior matched that of healthy animals with no nicotine craving.
Obese animals had extremely high levels of leptin (a hunger-regulating hormone) and unusually low levels of ghrelin (the ‘hunger signal’). SKNY-1 normalized both hormones, improving the body’s ability to regulate hunger and energy use.
Obese animals had too much dopamine in their brains, likely tied to increased reward and cravings. SKNY-1 reduced these dopamine levels—but only at the lower dose. The high dose did not affect dopamine, suggesting the drug can reduce cravings without overstimulating the brain.
Price Action: MIRA stock is down 1.20% to $1.23 during the premarket session at the last check on Monday.
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