Prolor Biotech, Inc. reported positive results from a comparative animal study of its anti-obesity drug candidate oxyntomodulin (OXY-RPEG).
The study measured the potential therapeutic effect of OXY-RPEG injected once or twice weekly as measured by weight loss and reduction in food intake compared with being injected twice daily.
It was conducted using an animal model specifically designed to test anti-obesity drugs. In the study, OXY-RPEG injected either once or twice over a period of seven days demonstrated significantly higher weight loss, reduction of food intake and duration of weight loss activity compared with being injected twice daily.
Oxyntomodulin is a naturally occurring peptide hormone released by the digestive system that acts as a natural satiety signal to reduce food intake and increase energy expenditure following food ingestion. Previous studies in humans showed that oxyntomodulin can reduce appetite and food intake, leading to significant weight loss without apparent side effects.
However, as a result of oxyntomodulin’s very short half-life, it had to be administered via three daily injections in these human studies. Prolor developed its longer-acting OXY-RPEG version by combining a naturally occurring oxyntomodulin with the company’s proprietary Reversible PEGylation technology designed to increase the half-life of therapeutic peptides and small molecules.
OXY-RPEG demonstrated greater potency, with the total dose administered over seven days containing approximately 15% of the cumulative dose of oxyntomodulin injected during the same period.
Release Date: June 6, 2011
Source: Prolor Biotech, Inc
Filed Under: Drug Discovery
