PROLOR Biotech Inc. reported positive preclinical results from an animal study of its long-acting obesity/type 2 diabetes drug candidate MOD-6030. The study was designed to measure the potential therapeutic effect of MOD-6030 injected once weekly as measured by weight loss, reduction in food intake, glycemic control, and cholesterol levels.
In the study, MOD-6030 administered to diet-induced obese (DIO) mice once weekly over a 30-day period demonstrated significant efficacy in reducing weight, lowering blood glucose levels, increasing insulin sensitivity and reducing cholesterol levels as compared to a group that received placebo. Animals in the placebo group showed minimal changes in the study parameters, while the animals receiving MOD-6030 achieved on average a 28% reduction in weight, a 29% reduction in food intake, a 19% reduction in blood glucose levels and a 57% reduction in cholesterol levels. Body composition analysis showed that the weight loss resulted specifically from reductions in body fat.
“We believe there is great demand among obese patients and their physicians for therapies that will help patients lose weight and reduce elevated glucose levels resulting from obesity with minimal side effects and a favorable administration profile,” said Dr. Abraham Havron, CEO of PROLOR. “In this study in animals, our MOD-6030 therapy demonstrated a unique combination of achieving substantial weight loss and improved glycemic profiles while also significantly lowering cholesterol levels.”
Dr. Havron continued, “MOD-6030 is a long-acting version of a native peptide that acts as a natural satiety signal to reduce food intake, and we believe it has the potential be a major new treatment for obesity and Type II diabetes that is both effective and safe. We are currently on track to initiate the first human clinical trial of MOD-6030 in 2013.”
MOD-6030, a GLP-1/Glucagon dual receptor agonist peptide, is a long-acting version of oxyntomodulin, a naturally occurring hormone that acts as a natural satiety signal to reduce food intake and increase energy expenditure following food ingestion. Previous third-party studies in humans showed that the native oxyntomodulin can reduce appetite and food intake, leading to significant weight loss without apparent side effects. However, as a result of its very short half-life, oxyntomodulin has to be administered via three daily injections. PROLOR developed MOD-6030, its longer-acting version, by combining the naturally occurring hormone with the company’s proprietary Reversible PEGylation technology designed to increase the half-life of therapeutic peptides and small molecules.
Date: April 16, 2012
Source: PROLOR Biotech Inc.
Filed Under: Drug Discovery
