PHASE II RESULTS WITH AMYLIN'S AC137

Amylin Pharmaceuticals has presented interim Phase II data from several ongoing studies of tripro-amylin (AC137) which suggest that the agent can improve post-prandial glucose control in patients with juvenile-onset diabetes. Abnormally high glucose levels after mealtimes are thought to be involved in many of the debilitating complications that are associated with diabetes, such as blindness, kidney failure and neuropathy, and patients with the juvenile-onset form find it particularly difficult to regulate blood glucose using insulin alone.

The new data, presented at a satellite symposium to the annual meeting of the American Diabetes Association in New Orleans, USA, last week, provides further evidence to support this glucose smoothing effect of tripro-amylin, following reports from two early Phase II single-dose infusion studies (Marketletter April 25).

In the latest 14-day study, patients who continued their usual insulin therapy and self-injected tripro-amylin three-times daily had lower average blood glucose levels after a test meal than did patients who received insulin and placebo. After the 14-day test period, a statistically-significant glucose smoothing effect was observed at two dose levels tested, 30ug and 100ug. At the 30ug dose, peak tripro-amylin plasma concentrations were within the range of amylin found in the blood of non-diabetic individuals (measured as area under the glucose curve).