- Published: 26 May 2009
- Written by Editor
Emisphere Technologies Reports Encouraging Data from Independent Clinical Study Assessing the Effects of Oral GLP-1 and PYY3-36, Combined with Eligen®
Emisphere Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: EMIS) today announced data from a clinical study designed to assess the effect of oral administration of two peptides, GLP-1 and PYY3-36, utilizing Emisphere’s Eligen® Technology on appetite suppression. The study was conducted at the University Hospital in Basel, Switzerland by Professor Christoph Beglinger, of the Clinical Research Center, Department of Biomedicine Division of Gastroenterology, and Department of Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology at the hospital.
The randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was conducted in 16 normal weight males between the ages of 18 and 40.
The study was designed to investigate the effects of orally administered GLP-1 and PYY3-36 formulated with Emisphere’s Sodium N-[8-(2-hydroxybenzoyl) Amino] Caprylate (“SNAC”) carrier and their potential effect in the control of food intake and satiety. Prior studies have shown the ability of both peptides to reduce appetite and food consumption in healthy subjects and in patients with obesity.
The study concluded that these orally administered peptides, when delivered with Emisphere’s SNAC carrier, were rapidly absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract, leading to concentrations several times higher than endogenous hormone levels achieved after a standard test meal. Specifically, results showed that oral GLP-1 (2 mg tablet) alone and the combination of oral GLP-1 (2 mg tablet) plus PYY3-36 (1 mg tablet) induced a significant reduction in calorie intake although there was no synergistic effect when the two peptides were used in combination. Oral PYY3-36 at a 1 mg dose by itself, did not significantly reduce calorie intake. Oral GLP-1 (2 mg tablet) and oral PYY3-36 (1 mg tablet) were both shown to induce a rapid increase in plasma GLP-1 concentrations and plasma PYY concentrations, respectively.
Professor Beglinger commented, “This latest set of data incorporating use of Emisphere’s Eligen® Technology in oral formulations of GLP-1 and PYY3-36 is very encouraging. Specifically, we see that oral GLP-1, as well as a combination of oral GLP-1 and PYY3-36 was sufficient to affect a meaningful reduction in calorie intake in the study subjects, indicating that further studies in appetite suppression are certainly warranted.”
Michael V. Novinski, President and Chief Executive Officer of Emisphere, noted, “This new data represents further evidence of the ability of our Eligen® Technology, and our SNAC carrier, to enhance oral absorption of peptides which normally exhibit low oral bioavailability. In this case, GLP-1 alone, and the combination of the two peptides together, were able to cross the gastrointestinal tract into the bloodstream in high enough concentrations to significantly affect appetite.”
About Emisphere Technologies, Inc.
Emisphere is a biopharmaceutical company that focuses on a unique and improved delivery of therapeutic molecules or nutritional supplements using its Eligen® Technology. These molecules and compounds could be currently available or in development. Such molecules are usually delivered by injection; in many cases, their benefits are limited due to poor bioavailability, slow on-set of action or variable absorption. The Eligen® Technology can be applied to the oral route of administration as well other delivery pathways, such as buccal, rectal, inhalation, intra-vaginal or transdermal. The company’s website is: www.emisphere.com.
Safe Harbor Statement Regarding Forward-looking Statements
The statements in this release and oral statements made by representatives of Emisphere relating to matters that are not historical facts (including without limitation those regarding the timing or potential outcomes of research collaborations or clinical trials, any market that might develop for any of Emisphere's product candidates and the sufficiency of Emisphere's cash and other capital resources) are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, the likelihood that future research will prove successful, the likelihood that any product in the research pipeline will receive regulatory approval in the United States or abroad, the ability of Emisphere and/or its partners to develop, manufacture and commercialize products using Emisphere's drug delivery technology, Emisphere's ability to fund such efforts with or without partners, and other risks and uncertainties detailed in Emisphere's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including those factors discussed under the caption "Risk Factors" in Emisphere's Annual Report on Form 10-K (file no. 000-17758) filed on March 16, 2009.
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