Bridge BioResearch Announces the Completion of Preclinical Trials of 2hydroxyoleic Acid - a Novel Treatment of Obesity
LONDON, January 11, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --
Bridge Bioresearch PLC (BBR) today announces that the company has completed the preclinical efficacy and safety trials of 2hydroxyoleic acid (2OHOA) a novel treatment of obesity and other metabolic disorders.
BBR has in- licensed 2OHOA from the University of the Balearic Islands (Spain) in 2006 and has continued research in animal models verifying the pharmacological properties as well as safety profile of the 2OHOA molecule. This is an important milestone for the further development of 2HOA and the move from pre-clinical to clinical development of the molecule as all the tests completed to-date have shown the molecule to be biologically active and safe in the standard animal models.
Søren Stenderup, CEO of BBR commented: "The successful completion of the pre-clinical programme is a significant milestone for this molecule. The fact that the product shows good biological activity and no observed toxicity gives us the confidence to commit time and resource to undertaking a full clinical development programme. The observation, in the animal models examined, that the product appears to improve other conditions associated with obesity such as hypertension and the onset of type 2 diabetes is an additional benefit that we will seek to quantify in the clinical trial programme as this will give the product benefits over other treatments for the growing problem of obesity."
About the 2hydroxyoleic acid molecule:
2OHOA has a granted patent (PCT/ES02/00475) and the clinical development process as drug for the treatment of obesity has already been initiated following the encouraging results from the pre-clinical studies.
2OHOA is derived from the major lipid component of the Mediterranean diet, oleic acid. The introduction of a hydroxyl-group in position 2 of a fatty acid inhibits its metabolism, which in turn increases its bioavailability..
Although the idea of treating obesity with a fat component may seem a paradox at first glance, it is logical that a compound related to oleic acid will be able to interact with a variety of molecular targets. As a result 2OHOAt can interfere as a competitive substrate, intermediate or end product in pivotal pathways of lipid metabolism. This has the effect of reducing the efficiency of fat metabolism in general. As a result, the body mobilises stored fats to make up the deficiency in the general metabolic pathway leading to overall fat reduction in the body.
Previous experiments with 2OHOA in animal models have demonstrated a greater reduction of adipose tissue mass than was achieved with an existing weight management drug, which has recently been withdrawn from the market because of its severe side effects. In addition, 2OHOA has demonstrated appetite suppressant effects in relation to food intake in standard animal models.
2OHOA has successfully passed a complete, ICH directed and GLP-certified toxicological study set-up that has demonstrated the favourable toxicological profile of this compound. In addition pre-clinical tests on 2OHOA have shown that the molecule does not induce other other important comorbidities of obesity, such as hypertension and type 2 diabetes, ameliorate significantly through treatment with 2-OHOA. Based on these very promising findings BBR is now in the process of drafting protocols for clinical testing of 2-OHA
Enquiries should be directed to:
Soren Stenderup,
BRIDGE BIORESEARCH PLC
Denmark:
Kvæsthusgade 5C, 5th Floor DK-1251, Copenhagen K
Tel +45-22818320
Tel +45-70205252
United Kingdom:
2 Charterhouse Mews
London EC1M 6BB
Tel: +44(0)7854041600
Tel: +44(0)2075399489
Media Enquiries:
Anna Dunphy/Mike Wort
De Facto Financial
Tel: +44(0)20-75561063
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