MBX-2044 is designed to eliminate the dose-limiting side effects of the currently marketed sensitizers. Data from the phase I dose-escalating study showed that the drug was well-tolerated in healthy volunteers.
Insulin sensitizers, with worldwide sales of nearly $4 billion, represent an attractive treatment option for type 2 diabetes because they target insulin resistance, the underlying cause of the disease.
Both MBX-2044 and Metabolex’s lead compound, metaglidasen (formerly MBX-102), are insulin sensitizers that have chemical structures and methods-of-action that are different than current insulin sensitizers on the market.
“The insulin sensitizers currently on the market can effectively control blood glucose levels. However, they do have significant side effects in terms of edema and weight gain,” said Dr Kenneth Polonsky, professor of medicine at Washington University School of Medicine. “Metabolex is applying its expertise in the biology of diabetes to develop improved insulin sensitizers that can lower glucose levels without causing these side effects.”
“MBX-2044 is an excellent complement to our portfolio of second-generation product candidates, and the results of this trial enable us to move it forward to proof-of-efficacy studies,” said Dr David Karpf, chief medical officer of Metabolex and clinical associate professor of medicine at Stanford.
Currently marketed insulin sensitizers include GlaxoSmithKline’s Avandia (rosiglitazone) and Avandamet (rosiglitazone/metformin), and Takeda and Eli Lilly’s Actos (pioglitazone).