vTv Therapeutics released promising clinical trial data on two orally administered potential treatments for type 2 diabetes, including one that showed significantly reduced side effects. The data were given in oral and poster presentations as part of the “New Therapeutics for Diabetes and Obesity” program at the Keystone Symposia on Molecular and Cellular Biology held in La Jolla, California.
In the presentation “Oral Small Molecule GLP-1 Receptor (GLP-1R) Agonists for Type 2 Diabetes (T2DM) with Negligible Nausea and Vomiting,” the company revealed clinical and preclinical data of the orally active, small molecule GLP-1 receptor agonist it calls TTP273.
“GLP-1 receptor agonists are well-validated treatments that provide glycemic control and weight loss for Type 2 diabetes patients” Dr. Carmen Valcare, senior vice president and chief scientific officer of vTv Therapeutics, said in a press release. However, “their limitations — including side effects like nausea and vomiting, and the fact that current products are available only as an injection — have reduced their potential to help many more patients.”
vTv’s data from a Phase 1b clinical trial assessing TTP273 indicated that the drug lowered blood glucose levels in diabetic patients, and suggested that the ongoing Phase 2 study will also show a decrease in body weight and in HbA1c levels — a test providing information about the average blood sugar levels over the previous three months.
Importantly, TTP273 did not cause the significant gastrointestinal side effects experienced by people using currently available products. “We believe an orally dosed GLP-1R agonist with significantly reduced rates of nausea and vomiting would bring a truly differentiated product to this substantial market. We’re looking forward to revealing results of the ongoing Phase 2 clinical trial at the end of 2016,” said Dr. Valcare.
Data from another study, “The Importance of Tissue Selectivity and Preservation of the Physiological Regulation when Targeting Key Metabolic Regulators as Glucokinase,” showed that a glucokinase activator (GKA) — TTP399 — may be safer and have a higher efficacy in the treatment of type 2 diabetes than other GKA compounds. The researchers revealed that TTP399 targets liver cells, important to the drug’s ability to reduce blood sugar levels without inducing toxicities, such as hypoglycemia or dyslipidemia.
TTP399 is currently in a controlled Phase 2b trial for type 2 diabetes patients, and results are expected in mid-2016.
Type 2 diabetes is the most common type of diabetes, and is characterized by an inadequate control of the blood sugar levels, commonly accompanied by a variety of co-morbidities, such as high blood pressure, stroke, heart disease, and kidney disease.
