Dara BioSciences Presents Data For DB959

Dara BioSciences’s compound for Type 2 diabetes (T2D) has demonstrated superior performance to comparator drugs at the Cambridge Healthtech Institute’s Conference, ‘Targeting Diabetes with Novel Therapeutics.’

Mary Kay Delmedico, project leader/program manager at DARA reviewed DB959’s favorable pharmacological and safety profile as a peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)-delta/gamma agonist without PPAR-alpha activity.

Delmedico said: “Our previous data demonstrated that DB959 lowers blood sugar, raises HDL, raises the HDL:LDL ratio, and lowers triglycerides, while having a very favorable safety profile in rats and monkeys, particularly with regard to weight gain. These new data demonstrate that DB959’s dual activation of the PPAR-delta and gamma subtypes leads to superior performance in preclinical models over agonists with dual activation of PPAR-gamma/alpha.

“The development of dual alpha/gamma agonists has been an active area of research and development in this field for years, but our data suggest that DB959 may be a better approach to developing a drug for patients with T2D. Importantly, the delta activation appears to counteract the weight-gain side effect seen with PPAR-gamma and PPAR-gamma/alpha activation. With DB959, weight gain was not an issue in these preclinical studies.”

Richard Franco, chief executive officer and president, said: “We will continue to move DB959 forward in development as it continues to show the potential to address the unmet needs for these patients.”