LOS ALTOS, Calif., Nov. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- InteKrin Therapeutics, Inc., a privately-held clinical stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of novel drugs for the treatment of diabetes and cardio-metabolic diseases, announced today that Alex M. DePaoli M.D. has joined the company as Chief Medical Officer. Dr. DePaoli will be a member of InteKrin’s senior management team and will be responsible for the clinical development of the Company’s pipeline of products.
“We are extremely pleased to have a seasoned world-class drug developer of Alex’s caliber join the company,” said Denny Lanfear, InteKrin Chief Executive. “Alex joins us as we prepare to initiate the Phase IIb study for our lead compound INT131, a non-TZD selective PPAR-gamma modulator (SPPARM) licensed from Amgen earlier this year. While at Amgen, Alex was broadly responsible for the metabolic and endocrine therapeutic area and has been closely involved with multiple novel treatment strategies. His decision to join InteKrin and direct INT131’s further development is a strong endorsement of his confidence in its therapeutic potential. The addition of such a highly regarded drug developer and clinician to the team is very positive for the Company.”
“I am thrilled to be joining the team at InteKrin and to have the opportunity to advance INT131 into Phase IIb in early 2008,” said Dr. DePaoli. “This moiety is the result of a 10-year comprehensive scientific program at Tularik and Amgen resulting in what could be a significant clinical advancement in the treatment of Type 2 Diabetes. Insulin resistance is the key etiological feature to the onset and subsequent progression of the disease and as a true SPPARM, INT131 promises insulin sensitization benefits without the edema, fluid retention and weight gain exhibited by the TZDs.”
Dr. DePaoli joins InteKrin after more than 16 years of experience in the diabetes and obesity field. He trained in Clinical and Molecular Endocrinology at the University of Chicago with Drs. Kenneth Polonski and Graham Bell. His clinical and research interests in diabetes and obesity were focused during his work at the Sansum Diabetes Research Institute which led him to join Amgen to build the Metabolic Disease Area and direct the Leptin program. At Amgen he also directed the development of a broad array of metabolic disease targets focused on translating novel pathways into the clinic. These pathways include 11 Beta HSD-1, RANK Ligand, calcium sensing receptor, PPAR-gamma modulation, and MCH-R1. He also maintains his clinical practice.
About InteKrin (http://www.InteKrin.com):
InteKrin Therapeutics is a privately-held clinical-stage drug development company focused on diabetes and metabolic disease. InteKrin’s business strategy is to build a robust portfolio of high value products by in-licensing clinical-stage therapeutic candidates that address significant unmet medical needs and rapidly move them through critical development stages under the direction of InteKrin’s accomplished management team and world-class SAB. The company was co-founded by Chief Executive Denny Lanfear, a former Amgen VP and Officer, and by Scientific Advisory Board Chair Christos Mantzoros, M.D., D.Sc., a leading clinical endocrinologist and Associate Professor at Harvard Medical School. InteKrin’s team of world-class scientific and medical experts includes veterans from several successful biopharma organizations, internationally recognized experts in nuclear receptors and metabolism, top scientists formerly with the Food and Drug Administration and key clinical and commercialization leaders who brought earlier PPAR agonists to market.
InteKrin’s lead therapeutic candidate, INT131, is a potent non-TZD SPPARM (Selective Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor Modulator) that was specifically engineered to have equal or better efficacy to the currently marketed TZDs without weight gain and edema side effects. INT131 has successfully completed Phase IIa clinical trials for diabetes and Phase IIb trials will be initiated in Q108.
To learn more about InteKrin, visit http://www.InteKrin.com.
CONTACT: Eric Easom, Sr. Director, Business Development and Marketing of
InteKrin Therapeutics, Inc., +1-650-941-5501, Eric@InteKrin.com
Web site: http://www.InteKrin.com/
