SAN DIEGO and OSAKA, Japan, Feb. 22, 2010 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited announced today that the companies have selected the combination treatment of pramlintide, an analog of the natural hormone amylin, and metreleptin, an analog of the natural hormone leptin, for advancement toward Phase 3 development. The decision to advance the program followed encouraging results from a 52-week blinded, placebo-controlled Phase 2 extension study. The pramlintide/metreleptin combination met the key target criteria of sustained and robust weight loss.
“We are pleased with the results of the Phase 2 extension study for the pramlintide/metreleptin combination therapy,” said Nancy Joseph-Ridge, M.D., general manager of Takeda’s Pharmaceutical Development Division. “This potential new therapy continues to build on our commitment to the management of obesity.”
The combination therapy appeared to be generally well tolerated through 52 weeks, with nausea and injection site adverse events observed as the most common side effects on initiation of pramlintide or metreleptin in combination treatment. Following initiation of therapy, these adverse events occurred at a reduced rate over time in patients continuing combination therapy.
Data from this study may be presented in a future medical forum.
About Obesity
Obesity is a chronic disease that affects over 400 million people worldwide and is linked to increased health risk of several medical conditions. According to The Obesity Society, obesity is the second leading cause of preventable death in the United States. The total direct and indirect cost attributed to overweight and obesity health issues exceeds $140 billion in the United States each year. Obesity is also rapidly becoming a major health problem in industrialized nations and many developing countries.
About Takeda
Located in Osaka, Japan, Takeda is a research-based global company with its main focus on pharmaceuticals. As the largest pharmaceutical company in Japan and one of the global leaders of the industry, Takeda is committed to striving toward better health for individuals and progress in medicine. Additional information about Takeda is available through its corporate website, www.takeda.com.
With respect to Amylin, these and additional risks and uncertainties are described more fully in Amylin’s most recently filed SEC documents, including its Form 10-Q. Amylin undertakes no duty to update these forward-looking statements.
Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
