A new molecule entity, ZYGK1 for treating diabetes, developed by Cadila Healthcare has been approved by the FDA in the US for the first phase of a clinical trial. ZYGK1 is an Investigational New Drug (IND) taken orally as a glucokinase activator to identify glucose in the pancreas and to regulate glucose metabolism in the liver. When glucose levels rise above a certain level, the glucokinase enzyme enhances insulin release from pancreas and decreased glucose production in liver. In normal individuals, the pancreas secretes insulin in response to increased levels of glucose in the blood. But in patients with Type 2 diabetes, the GK activity is not sufficient in the pancreas and the liver.
Cadila Healthcare will begin the phase I of a clinical trial for ZYGK1, Already in several preclinical models of Type 2 diabetes, ZYGK1 had proved its effectiveness in controlling both fasting and non-fasting blood glucose. Its safety profile was also good, the company claimed.
The chairman and managing director of Zydus Cadila group, Pankaj Patel, stated that the company was working towards addressing metabolic disorders and cardiovascular diseases.
Source-Medindia