The compound, CS-917, is being developed by Daiichi Sankyo pursuant to a licensing agreement between the two companies.
This proof-of-concept study is designed to evaluate safety and tolerability after three months of dosing of CS-917, as well as its effect on blood levels of the molecule HbA1c, an important measure of glucose control in patients with type 2 diabetes. If successful, the trial could support selection of a dose for a phase III trial.
In two successfully completed phase IIa trials in patients with type 2 diabetes, CS-917 was well tolerated and significantly reduced the elevated blood glucose levels that characterize the disease.
“CS-917 is being evaluated to determine whether it may be used alone or in combination with certain other drugs designed to enhance removal of glucose from the bloodstream, and for the large number of patients who are unable to take metformin, a treatment currently used as first line therapy in patients with type 2 diabetes,” said Dr Mark Erion, chief scientific officer at Metabasis.