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"We are honored to receive this significant recognition for not one, buttwo of our current programs. This recognition underscores both MBX-2982'spotential to become an important new therapy for type 2 diabetes, andMBX-8025's potential in the treatment of dyslipidemia," said Harold Van Wart,Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of Metabolex.
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The metabolic selection committee was led by Marc Wortman, contributingwriter to Windhover's IN VIVO and Start-Up, and Harris Kaplan, President &CEO, and Jun Huangpu, Managing Director, of Healogix, a leading businessdevelopment strategy consulting firm. The cardiovascular selection committeewas led by Ed Saltzman, President, and Michael Rice, Senior Consultant, ofDefined Health, a leading business development strategy consulting firm.
Drawing on the analytic resources of these organizations, the selectioncommittees evaluated hundreds of compounds currently in development.
"Selected companies have been screened using a strict set of judgingcriteria for the Top 10 award and represent what our committees considered themost attractive metabolic and cardiovascular opportunities the industry has tooffer," said Roger Longman, Managing Director of Windhover Information."Winners have met rigorous criteria including: unmet medical need, marketpotential, diversity of indications, strong science, multi-level partneringopportunities (biotech and pharma), potential for new opportunities beyondinitial indications and corporate stability."
Metabolex plans to present information on MBX-2982 and MBX-8025 onNovember 4, 2008 at Windhover's Therapeutic Area Partnerships conference inPhiladelphia, PA.
MBX-2982
MBX-2982 is an agonist of GPR119, a G protein-coupled receptor that isexpressed in pancreatic islets and the gastrointestinal tract. Pre-clinicalstudies conducted by Metabolex and others show that GPR119 agonists canstimulate glucose-dependent insulin secretion and release of incretin hormonessuch as GLP-1, and thus may preserve beta cell health. This novel dualmechanism may provide a unique therapeutic benefit in the treatment of type 2diabetes. Additionally, the stimulation of GLP-1 release may mimic thebenefits of incretin analogues such as exenatide (a GLP-1 analogue marketed asByetta(R)). Unlike exenatide, however, MBX-2982 can be delivered orally.
MBX-8025
MBX-8025 is a potent, selective PPAR-delta agonist that helps to regulatefatty acid degradation, lipid storage/transport and insulin sensitivity. MBX-8025 is being developed to treat a range of dyslipidemias, and early researchsuggests it may have a broader effect on a number of lipid and metabolicparameters, including triglycerides, LDL and HDL cholesterol, insulinsensitivity and inflammation.
About Windhover
Windhover Information Inc., an Elsevier company, has provided analysis ofthe healthcare industry to decision-makers at all levels since the founding ofits flagship publication, IN VIVO, The Business & Medicine Report, in 1983.Windhover provides its information and analysis in many formats, includingprint, electronic databases, international conferences and webinars. For moreon the company's products and services, please see http://www.windhover.com.
About Metabolex
Metabolex is a privately-held biopharmaceutical company focused on thediscovery and development of proprietary new medicines for the treatment ofmetabolic diseases, with an emphasis on type 2 diabetes. The company has fourclinical-stage compounds: MBX-102/JNJ 39659100, which has completed threePhase 2 trials; MBX-2044, which has completed a Phase 2a trial; MBX-8025,which recently completed a Phase 2 trial in patients with dyslipidemia; andMBX-2982, which recently completed a Phase 1 trial. Ortho-McNeil, Inc. has theexclusive right to develop and commercialize MBX-102/JNJ 39659100. Foradditional information about Metabolex and its development pipeline, visithttp://www.metabolex.com.
SOURCE Metabolex, Inc.
