Arecor
Founded 2007 · 35 employees on LinkedIn · Public · 4 known investors
Find your way into Arecor
AreCor develops proprietary pharmaceutical products for diabetes, obesity, and cardiometabolic diseases using its Arestat technology platform. The company targets areas of high unmet patient need in high-value therapeutic markets.
Also known as Arecor Therapeutics · Arecor Therapeutics plc
Founders & leadership
Investors · 4
Also in the syndicate · 1
Company profile
researched Aug 2026Arecor is a clinical-stage biotech company based at Chesterford Research Park, Little Chesterford, United Kingdom. It develops therapeutics intended to reduce treatment burden and improve outcomes for people living with diabetes, obesity and other cardiometabolic diseases, and it licenses and applies its proprietary formulation and drug delivery technology platform, Arestat, in partnerships with pharmaceutical, biotech and medtech companies.
The proprietary portfolio comprises two development programmes. AT278 is an ultra-concentrated (500 U/mL), ultra-rapid-acting insulin aspart intended for use in automated insulin delivery (AID) systems, including for high insulin users and next-generation miniaturised, longer-wear devices; the company states it was Phase 2 ready by mid-2026 and is partnered with US insulin pump company Sequel Med Tech. The second programme is a next-generation oral peptide delivery platform, with an initial target of an oral GLP-1 receptor agonist (semaglutide) with improved bioavailability relative to currently marketed oral GLP-1 products, for which pre-clinical data were to be generated during 2026. The company has also previously listed AT247 among its lead proprietary diabetes development products.
Founding story
Arecor was spun out of Unilever in 2007. Sarah Howell joined in 2011, having previously worked at GSK on antiviral medicines and at Celltech, and became CEO; she has said the technology existed but the company had not yet worked out how to develop and commercialise it.
Business model
Arecor combines proprietary drug development with a partnering and licensing business: it develops its own clinically de-risked candidates in diabetes and obesity while applying the Arestat platform to third-party products under partnership, co-development and licence arrangements with pharmaceutical, biotech and medtech companies.
The company describes itself as revenue generating from partnerships with leading pharma and biotech companies, including third-party validation and licence revenue from a diversified customer base across disease areas. Following its 2022 acquisition of Tetris Pharma, it also gained a sales, marketing and distribution platform for injectable products in the UK and Europe, with Tetris Pharma reporting unaudited initial revenues of £600,000 (about $735,000) in the six months to 30 June 2022.
Traction
The company reports a clinically de-risked portfolio, a co-development agreement with Sequel Med Tech for preparatory work toward a Phase 2 trial of AT278 in Sequel's AID system, revenue from pharma and biotech partnerships, more than 100 granted patents, and a cash balance of £6.1 million at the end of December 2025. AT278 clinical results were published in Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism in 2026, reporting ultra-rapid pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties in type 2 diabetes regardless of BMI.
Latest developments
In 2026 Arecor announced peer-reviewed publication of AT278 study results in Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism, showing ultra-rapid pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties in type 2 diabetes regardless of BMI, with related coverage by HCP Live. The company states AT278 was Phase 2 ready by mid-2026 under a co-development agreement with Sequel Med Tech, and that pre-clinical data for its oral GLP-1 receptor agonist programme were to be generated during 2026.
▸Full profile — market position, technology, go-to-market, geography, history, risks & controversies
Market position
The company positions AT278 as the only ultra-concentrated and ultra-rapid-acting insulin in development, with what it describes as a best-in-class profile against currently available gold-standard insulins, addressing a multi-billion dollar diabetes market, and positions its oral peptide platform against currently approved oral GLP-1 therapy Rybelsus, which it notes achieves less than 1% bioavailability, in the obesity and cardiometabolic markets.
Differentiation rests on the Arestat formulation platform and its patent estate, which the company says enable enhanced versions of existing and novel therapeutics — heat-stable, higher-concentration or faster-acting formats — described by its CEO as affordable innovation that improves products without adding significant cost, alongside a clinically de-risked proprietary pipeline.
Technology
Arestat is a proprietary formulation and drug delivery technology platform applied to high-value biologics including biosimilars, novel biologics, peptides and vaccines, with stated potential future applications in oral delivery, mRNA and cell and gene therapies. Formulation outcomes include liquid products with superior stability enabling use outside the cold chain and longer shelf life, conversion of lyophilised powders to liquids, high-concentration low-viscosity products for subcutaneous administration, ready-to-use and ready-to-administer intravenous formats, and control of absorption from the subcutaneous injection site to modify PK/PD profiles. The platform is protected by more than 100 granted patents in the US, Europe and other key territories.
Go-to-market
Arecor advances proprietary candidates through clinical development while monetising Arestat through partnering, co-development and licensing agreements; the Tetris Pharma acquisition added an in-house sales, marketing and distribution capability enabling selected products to be taken to market directly in the UK and Europe.
Patients living with diabetes, obesity and other cardiometabolic diseases, reached via partnerships with pharmaceutical, biotech and medtech companies such as insulin pump maker Sequel Med Tech, and, through the Tetris Pharma platform, hospitals and specialty injectable markets in the UK and Europe.
Geography
Headquartered at Chesterford Research Park, Little Chesterford CB10 1XL, United Kingdom, with commercial activity across the UK and Europe through the Tetris Pharma platform and a partnership with US-based Sequel Med Tech.
History
Spun out of Unilever in 2007, the company completed a £20 million IPO in 2021, with BGF acting as a cornerstone investor in the oversubscribed offering. In 2022, Arecor Therapeutics plc acquired the entire issued share capital of Tetris Pharma Ltd, which holds an exclusive supply agreement and licence to sell the ready-to-use glucagon auto-injector Ogluo in the EEA, UK and Switzerland. The company subsequently focused its proprietary pipeline on AT278 and an oral peptide delivery platform.
Risks & controversies
The CEO has publicly noted the inherent risks of science and innovation, including that a product may not work or may not benefit patients as expected. At the time of the Tetris Pharma acquisition, the business was expected to break even only within about three years from completion.
Compiled by commissioned research from 8 cited public sources — announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.
Key figures
latest reportedCompany-reported or press-reported figures, each dated to when it was claimed — not independently audited.
Timeline · 4
launches, deals, and filingsJournal article reporting that highly concentrated insulin aspart AT278 (500 U/mL) demonstrated ultra-rapid pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties in type 2 diabetes regardless of BMI; peer-reviewed publication announced 13 August 2026.
Co-development agreement with US insulin pump company Sequel Med Tech covering preparatory work for a Phase 2 clinical trial of AT278 in Sequel's automated insulin delivery system.
Arecor Therapeutics plc acquired the entire issued share capital of Tetris Pharma Ltd, a UK and Europe sales and distribution platform for injectable products whose lead product is the ready-to-use glucagon auto-injector Ogluo, licensed for the EEA, UK and Switzerland.
Arecor completed an oversubscribed £20 million IPO in 2021, with BGF acting as a cornerstone investor.
Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.
In the news
Skye Bioscience Acquires Redx Pharma, Exits Obesity for Fibrosis Focusclinicaltrialvanguard.com · Aug 2026▸Research sources · 8
primary sources listed
- Arecorarecor.com · web
8 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.
Frequently asked questions
- What does Arecor do?
- UK clinical-stage biotech developing diabetes, obesity and cardiometabolic therapeutics on its Arestat formulation platform.
- Who are Arecor's investors?
- Arecor's investors include AlbionVC, Calculus Capital Ltd., Seneca Partners.