Neptune Technologies & Bioressources Reports Additional Preclinical Data For CaPre

Neptune Technologies & Bioressources (Neptune) announces additional preclinical research results on its Acasti Pharma (Acasti) drug development program.

Acasti announces the results of additional preclinical research designed to further evaluate the potentially broader spectrum of therapeutic efficacy of its first drug candidate, CaPre. The efficacy of CaPre was evaluated in the same animal model, the Zucker Diabetic Fatty (ZDF) model, with which, as previously reported, CaPre demonstrated significant anti-dyslipidemic effects associated with substantial elevations of high-density lipoprotein-Cholesterol (HDL-C) or good cholesterol.

CaPre was administered for 3 months at a daily human equivalent dose of 500mg and 2,500mg in both ZDF diabetic (established, severe, type 2 diabetes) and normal healthy rats. Both rat phenotypes were subjected to oral glucose tolerance tests (OGTT). In medical practice the OGTT is commonly used to test for diabetes and insulin resistance. It involves the oral administration of high amounts of glucose in order to determine how quickly it is cleared from the blood. The test may be performed as part of a panel of tests, such as the comprehensive metabolic panel.

Treatment of severely diabetic rats with CaPre was shown to significantly reduce impaired glucose tolerance within 1 month of treatment, with the higher dose being only slightly more effective than the lower dose. After 3 months, the ZDF rats had established a normal tolerance to glucose analogous to the healthy rats. Also, the healthy rats continued to tolerate glucose normally, indicating another safety parameter for CaPre.

Bruno Battistini, senior director of pharmaceutical research & development at Acasti, said: “Managing patients with severe and even borderline diabetic conditions and preventing metabolic syndrome would be a significant therapeutic achievement for CaPre. More studies are underway to further assess CaPre’s beneficial role in improving glucose metabolism disturbances and insulin resistance.”