Monday, pharmaceutical company Corcept Therapeutics, Inc. (CORT) announced that it observed positive results from a clinical study meant to test if Corlux lessens weight gain associated with Risperdal.
Corlux is Corcept's late-stage GRII receptor antagonist, which the company is also evaluating in ongoing Phase 3 trials for psychotic depression and Cushing's Syndrome.
The Menlo Park, California-based company said that the study showed that Corlux, when added to Risperdal treatment in healthy subjects, considerably reduce the weight gain compared to that seen in subjects receiving Risperdal alone. Risperdal, marketed by Johnson & Johnson, is a drug used for the treatment of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.
The study was a four-week randomized double-blind controlled study in 75 lean, healthy men with body mass index of 23 or less. Subjects were randomized to receive either Risperdal plus placebo, Risperdal plus Corlux or Corlux plus placebo. Daily weights were recorded and a range of metabolic parameters was measured.
Commenting on the clinical trial, Corcept's president, Robert Roe said, "We are pleased to have demonstrated that Corlux appears to mitigate the weight gain associated with Risperdal as it mitigated the weight gain associated with Zyprexa. This study provides evidence that the benefits of GRII antagonism are not limited to concurrent use with Zyprexa and may, in fact, be applicable to the broad class of antipsychotics."
Corcept has also discovered and filed patents for three additional series of compounds, which, similar to Corlux, block cortisol's activity at the GRII receptor, but unlike Corlux, do not block the progesterone receptor.
The company recently announced that Cort 108297, a potential lead compound from these series, confirmed prevention and reversal of Zyprexa associated weight gain in two preclinical studies. In a human microdosing study, the compound was extremely well absorbed, showed good bioavailability and had a half-life that appears compatible with once-a-day oral dosing.
CORT is currently trading at $0.75, down $0.05 or 6.25%.
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