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news.Results from two preclinical studies by Forbes Medi-Tech have shown the company's experimental drug FM-VP4 to be capable of inhibiting weight-gain and lowering cholesterol in lab animals.
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The first of the two studies was designed to assess the effects of FM-VP4 in combination with Simvastatin (Zocor), a drug produced by Merck & Co, in rabbits fed a high fat and cholesterol diet over 28 days. The second study was to determine whether FM-VP4 could decrease weight gain in mice fed on a high-fat diet.
The combination’s effectiveness was evaluated between 7 and 28 days in reducing plasma lipid levels in this high fat/cholesterol rabbit model. The results illustrate that a combination of Zocor and FM-VP4 reduced cholesterol more effectively than either Zocor or FM-VP4 used alone.
The obesity study results show a significant difference in weight gain between the high-fat diet versus high-fat diet plus FM-VP4 treatment groups. The results are indicative of potential obesity control beyond the cholesterol-lowering effects of FM-VP4.
“The FM-VP4/Zocor study results provide an insight into the development path for FM-VP4 as a candidate for statin combination therapy,” said Charles Butt, president and CEO of Forbes. “The obesity study results demonstrate a significant reduction of weight-gain and help identify FM-VP4’s additional therapeutic indications.”
The cardiovascular market represents a significant opportunity to pharmaceutical companies. Datamonitor predicts that industry-wide sales of cardiovascular pharmaceuticals will grow to over $40 billion by 2011.