Sept 9 (Reuters) - MBX Biosciences, which is developing

peptide therapies for treating endocrine and metabolic

disorders, including obesity, said on Monday it was seeking a

valuation of up to $482.5 million in its initial public offering

in the United States.

WHY IT'S IMPORTANT

Weight-loss drug makers have caught the attention of

investors and secured backing from venture capital heavyweights

after proving to be an effective obesity treatment.

Wall Street estimates annual global sales of $150 billion

for weight-loss drugs by the early 2030s.

MBX is developing therapies that target endocrine and

metabolic disorders, including diabetes and obesity.

Last week, obesity therapy-focused startup BioAge Labs also

filed to go public.

CONTEXT

The biotech's lead experimental candidate, MBX 2109, is

being developed to treat chronic hypoparathyroidism, a condition

in which the body produces insufficient levels of parathyroid

hormone that disrupts calcium levels in the blood and bones.

MBX 2109 is currently being developed in a mid-stage study

and the company said it expects to report data from the trial

next year.

The company is also developing MBX 4291, an experimental

therapy for the treatment of obesity. The therapy mimics the

effect of two gut hormones, GLP-1 and GIP, and is currently in

preclinical development.

Eli Lilly's ( LLY ) tirzepatide, sold as Zepbound for weight

loss and Mounjaro for diabetes in the U.S., also mimics the

function of these two gut hormones.

The proposed offering comes a month after MBX raised $63.5

million in a funding round led by investment firm Deep Track

Capital.

BY THE NUMBERS

MBX is aiming to raise up to $136 million by offering 8.5

million shares at a price range of $14 and $16 each.

WHAT'S NEXT

MBX will be listed on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under

the symbol "MBX".

J.P. Morgan, Jefferies, Stifel and Guggenheim Securities are

underwriting the offering.