Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (AMLN) said its investigational
drug metreleptin showed promise in treatment of lipodystrophy, a
rare condition characterized by abnormalities in fat-tissue
distribution that put patients at risk for serious diseases.
Earlier on Friday an injectable diabetes drug being developed by
Amylin, Eli Lilly & Co. (LLY) and Alkermes Inc. (ALKS) received
a positive opinion from European Union regulators for the treatment
of Type 2 diabetes when used in combination with oral
therapies.
Shares of Amylin were recently up 10.4% at $12.43 in early
trading.
The study is being conducted by the National Institute of
Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases at the National
Institutes of Health. Results will be presented Sunday at the 20th
Annual Meeting and Clinical Congress of the American Association of
Clinical Endocrinologists in San Diego.
In the study, which has been in progress for more than 10 years,
NIH researchers are examining the effect of metreleptin on several
metabolic abnormalities, including diabetes and
hypertriglyceridemia -- high levels of triglycerides in the
bloodstream.
The drug developer said the long-term study indicated that
treatment with metreleptin resulted in "robust reductions" in
average blood sugar and triglycerides. Improvements were seen at
four months and they generally were sustained for up to several
years.
-By Tess Stynes, Dow Jones Newswires; 212-416-2481;
Tess.Stynes@dowjones.com