Metabolex Gout Program Recognized in Windhover's Top 10 Most Interesting Projects to Watch
HAYWARD, Calif., Nov. 29, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Metabolex, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and development of proprietary new medicines for the treatment of metabolic diseases, announced that its arhalofenate program has been recognized in Windhover's "Top 10 most interesting cardiovascular/metabolic diseases projects to watch." Arhalofenate is a potential best-in-class treatment for gout that not only treats the hyperuricemia that causes gout, but also addresses aspects of the metabolic abnormalities that are prevalent amongst patients with gout. Arhalofenate was selected by a panel of independent experts who screen hundreds of compounds and weigh their potential as future products. These independent experts include Campbell Alliance, NI Research, Healogix, Wolpert Associates, Cobbs Creek Healthcare and Herndon Associates.
"We are honored to receive this significant recognition of our program. It underscores arhalofenate's potential to become an important new therapy in the treatment of gout," said Harold Van Wart, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of Metabolex.
The selected companies have been screened using a strict set of judging criteria, including unmet medical need, market potential, diversity of indications, strong science, multi-level partnering opportunities (biotech and pharma), potential for new opportunities beyond initial indications, and corporate stability. Each project has been hand-selected by Windhover's elite selection panel to ensure a high-quality slate of presenters. "This year's list is handpicked in the six hottest therapeutic areas," said David Cassak, VP, Content, for Elsevier Business Intelligence's publications. "Many of the companies we selected in the past have gone on to do big deals, and we expect the same from this years' companies. 90% of the companies haven't presented at major partnering events this year."
Metabolex plans to present information on arhalofenate on December 1, 2011 at Windhover's Therapeutic Area Partnerships conference in Boston, MA.
Arhalofenate
Arhalofenate is a novel, orally administered, small molecule uricosuric agent that was previously under development by Metabolex for Type 2 diabetes. In the diabetes program, arhalofenate completed eight Phase 1 and four Phase 2 studies which demonstrated excellent safety and tolerability in more than 550 patients for up to six months of treatment. During this development program, it was demonstrated that once daily dosing with arhalofenate not only lowered glucose and triglycerides, but also resulted in robust, dose-dependent reductions in serum uric acid. The uric acid reductions were fully retained in patients with mild-to-moderate renal insufficiency and in patients taking diuretics or low dose aspirin concomitantly. Thus, arhalofenate is a potential best-in-class uricosuric agent that not only treats the hyperuricemia that causes gout including in patients with renal dysfunction, but also addresses other aspects of the metabolic abnormalities that are prevalent amongst patients with gout.
About Hyperuricemia and Gout
Gout is a chronic, progressive rheumatic disease, caused by an inflammatory response to uric acid crystals deposited in joints and soft tissues as a result of excess uric acid in the blood (hyperuricemia). Elevated serum uric acid levels cause urate crystals to form in joints, triggering acute arthritic flares, chronic destructive arthropathy and formation of tophi. According to the NHANES (2007-2008) study, the incidence of hyperuricemia in the US is over 45 million and over 8 million have progressed to a gout diagnosis.
About Windhover Conferences and Elsevier Business Intelligence
Windhover Conferences is an Elsevier Business Intelligence company, the leading provider of business intelligence and analysis to senior executives in the medical device, pharmaceutical, and biotechnology industries. Publishers of The Pink Sheet, IN VIVO: The Business & Medicine Report, PharmAsia News, The Tan Sheet, Start-Up: Emerging Medical Ventures, andThe RPM Report: Regulation - Policy - Market Access, Elsevier Business Intelligence and Windhover also host a variety of industry meetings and webinars in both medical device and pharma/biotech, and produce a wide array of market research reports. For more on the companies' products and services, please visit http://www.ElsevierBI.com.
About Metabolex
Metabolex is a privately-held biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and development of proprietary new medicines for the treatment of metabolic diseases. The company has three clinical-stage compounds: arhalofenate, which has completed five Phase 2 trials and is currently conducting two Phase 2b trials for gout; MBX-2982, which has recently completed a Phase 2a trial in patients with Type 2 diabetes; and MBX-8025, which has completed a Phase 2 trial in patients with dyslipidemia.
For additional information about Metabolex and its development pipeline, visit www.metabolex.com.
Contact:
Donald Hill
Metabolex, Inc.
(510) 293-8800
dhill@metabolex.com
SOURCE Metabolex, Inc.
Released November 29, 2011