PALO ALTO, Calif., Jan. 10 /PRNewswire/ -- InteKrin Therapeutics, Inc., a privately held clinical stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of products for diabetes, metabolism and obesity, announced today that it has entered into a license agreement with Amgen Inc. under which InteKrin has obtained worldwide development and commercialization rights to Amgen’s PPAR gamma selective modulator and partial agonist, INT131. Formerly known as AMG131 and first developed by Tularik, Inc., this compound utilizes a well-validated and potent target for the treatment of diabetes and insulin resistance.
“We are very excited to pursue the further development of this promising compound for Type II diabetes. INT131 was specifically designed to dial-out side effects while still delivering high efficacy,” remarked InteKrin’s President and CEO Denny Lanfear. “This molecule is a good example of the type of scientifically superior compound InteKrin will be focused on as it further develops its portfolio.”
“Based on the clinical data generated to date, we believe INT131 has the potential to become a highly effective therapeutic for the treatment of Type 2 diabetes, without the weight gain and edema seen with existing therapies.” commented InteKrin Co-Founder Christos Mantzoros, M.D., DSc, of Harvard Medical School, “We are looking forward to completing the clinical development program and getting this important product to patients. We expect that its therapeutic profile may also be useful in pre-diabetes, helping patients delay the onset of the disease.”
According to a June 2005 analyst report by Merrill Lynch, about 40 million people in the United States have pre-diabetes. An additional 18 million people in the U.S. currently have Type II diabetes, with 1.3 million new diagnoses each year. Morgan Stanley corroborates the magnitude of diabetes, predicting a drug market of $35 billion by 2012, up from $17 billion in 2005.
About InteKrin
InteKrin Therapeutics, Inc. is a privately-held clinical stage biopharmaceutical company based in Palo Alto, California developing therapeutics for diabetes, obesity and metabolic disorders. The company was founded in 2005 by Denny Lanfear, former Amgen Vice President and Officer, and Christos Mantzoros, M.D., DSc, renowned clinical endocrinologist and Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. InteKrin’s Scientific Advisory Board includes veterans from several successful biopharmaceutical organizations, internationally recognized experts in nuclear receptors and metabolism as well as top scientists formerly with the Food and Drug Administration. The company focuses on high value therapeutics in addressing unmet medical needs. To learn more about InteKrin, visit www.intekrin.com.
InteKrin Therapeutics, Inc.
CONTACT: Heather Zimmerman of InteKrin Therapeutics, Inc, +1-650-853-8000or Heather@InteKrin.com
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