BOSTON, March 14 /PRNewswire/ -- Surface Logix today announced the commencement of a company-sponsored Phase I clinical trial for SLx-4090, a novel, Microsomal Triglyceride Transfer Protein (MTP) inhibitor targeting dyslipidemia.
"We believe there is a strong clinical need for drugs that raise good cholesterol, or HDL, reduce triglycerides and lower bad cholesterol, LDL," notes Jim Mahoney, President and Chief Executive Officer of Surface Logix. "Many patients cannot tolerate the standard doses of current triglyceride lowering therapies, such as niacin and do not achieve their treatment goals. SLx-4090 should offer clinicians another route to manage triglycerides and cholesterol levels and it could be an excellent addition to current statin therapy to manage lipid profiles."
The Phase I trial is a single center, randomized, double-blind, placebo controlled study designed to evaluate the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic effects of a range of single orally administered doses of SLx-4090 in healthy male subjects.
"We also hope to establish a preliminary indication of efficacy by measuring plasma lipids and lipoprotein levels after dietary consumption," notes Dr. William Prince, Chief Development Officer.
"In SLx-4090, we successfully used our Pharmacomer(TM) Technology Platform to design a MTP inhibitor that acts selectively in the GI tract, something many companies have been trying to achieve for years. Our preclinical data indicate that SLx-4090 lowers dietary triglyceride levels as intended, but has no adverse impact on the liver or liver function," notes Dr. Paul Sweetnam, Chief Scientific Officer.
About SLx-4090, Dyslipidemia and Obesity
SLx-4090 is a novel Microsomal Triglyceride Transfer Protein (MTP) inhibitor being developed for the treatment of dyslipidemia and obesity. Surface Logix designed SLx-4090 using its proprietary small molecule Pharmacomer(TM) Technology to act specifically in the enterocytes, cells that line the GI tract, to prevent the transport of triglycerides through the intestinal wall. This unique feature of intestinal selectivity allows activity against triglyceride uptake while avoiding toxicity at other sites of MTP expression including the liver, heart, testis, ovary, and eye. SLx-4090 is expected to lead to reduced fat absorption in the GI tract and thus promote weight loss. It is also expected that the lack of hepatic side effects with SLx-4090 will lead to better patient compliance.
Dyslipidemia currently affects approximately 10% of the global population and 25% of these patients have raised triglyceride levels. There is an increasing prevalence and medical need for lipid-modifying drugs in obese and type 2 diabetic patients. A high proportion of type 2 diabetic patients have abnormal concentrations of lipoproteins. In the US, Japan and Europe there are more than 240 million people with abnormal lipoprotein levels. Of these, more than 55 million have low high density lipoprotein (HDL) and/or high triglyceride levels.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 2 out of 3 US adults are overweight or obese, suggesting that roughly 129 million people are at increased risk for developing type 2 diabetes, heart disease, some forms of cancer and other disabling medical conditions. Prevention of fat absorption has been established as an effective adjunct to dietary control of obesity.
About Surface Logix Inc.
Surface Logix Inc. uses its expertise in biophysical chemistry to create new small molecule drugs that are optimized to meet the challenges of human physiology. The company is advancing multiple internal programs focused primarily on cardiovascular disease, oncology and metabolic disorders and works with strategic partners to create differentiated new chemical entities. For more information, please visit http://www.surfacelogix.com.
Contact: Jim Mahoney President and CEO 617.746.8502 Media: Kari Watson MacDougall Biomedical Communications Inc. 508.647.0209 kwatson@macbiocom.com
Surface Logix Inc.CONTACT: Jim Mahoney, President and CEO of Surface Logix Inc., +1-617-746-8502; or Kari Watson of MacDougall Biomedical Communications Inc.,+1-508- 647-0209, kwatson@macbiocom.com
Web site: http://www.surfacelogix.com//
