Tuesday, OSI Pharmaceuticals Inc. (OSIP) announced additional data from its two pre-clinical compounds, PSN821 and PSN602, being developed for the treatment of type 2 diabetes and obesity.
Both these drug candidates are scheduled for Phase I clinical trials in 2008.
Presenting the additional data at the annual meeting of the American Diabetes Association in San Francisco, OSI researchers said pre-clinical data from studies on rats suggested that PSN821 has the potential to achieve, as an oral agent, both substantial glucose lowering and meaningful body weight loss in patients with type 2 diabetes. PSN821 stimulated the release of both insulin and Glucagon-like peptide-1.
According to the Melville, New York-based OSI, pre-clinical data on PSN602 demonstrated that it was as effective as a high dose of sibutramine at reducing body weight in a rodent model of obesity, but exhibited a more favorable cardiovascular profile after single doses. Translation of these effects to man would potentially allow dose-escalation of PSN602 to achieve greater weight loss than that seen with sibutramine, the company added.
"PSN821 has the potential to be the first orally available molecule which delivers both glucose control and substantial weight loss, while PSN602 is designed to give greater weight loss efficacy without causing the cardiovascular side effects seen with some anti-obesity agents," said Anker Lundemose, President of (OSI) Prosidion.
OSIP is trading down $0.17 or 0.31% at $38.68 on a volume of 69 thousand shares.
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