Efficacy data for the first anti-obesity and anti-diabetic peptide drug candidate not requiring injection will be presented at the Endocrine Society Annual Meeting in San Diego, June 19-22, 2010.
In 2000, researchers at Albany Medical College, in Albany NY, under the direction of Dr. Patricia Grasso, demonstrated that injection of very small fragments of leptin, representing less than 6 percent of the total leptin molecule (a protein hormone exerting a critical role in curbing appetite), proved effective in controlling appetite, blood glucose levels, and weight gain. However, although other leptin-based drugs currently in development require injection as with insulin, the combination of Albany's leptin peptide drug and Aegis Therapeutics' "Intravail" oral-dosage technology offers the prospect of an effective pill to treat obesity in humans and potential applications in treating diabetes as well.
"Peptide drugs are particularly exciting for chronic disease applications because they metabolize to natural amino acids and thus are intrinsically devoid of the chemical toxicity issues that have plagued many of the earlier anti-obesity and anti-diabetic drugs," said Aegis CEO Edward Maggio in a statement.
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