SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Hollis-Eden Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:HEPH), the world leader in the development of a new class of small molecule compounds based on endogenous adrenal steroid hormones, announced that it has commenced a Phase II clinical trial with its oral drug candidate TRIOLEX™ (HE3286) in type 2 diabetes patients, and that it is expanding the number of clinical sites to accelerate enrollment. The Phase II, double-blinded placebo controlled 12-week dosing trial will enroll approximately 90 patients who are stable on metformin treatment only, the current first-line therapy for type 2 diabetes, with a hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) level in excess of 7.5 percent. The primary endpoints for the trial will be safety and a reduction in HbA1c. Hollis-Eden plans to release preliminary interim data from this trial in the fourth quarter of 2008, and to completely enroll by the end of the year.