SANKYO, METABASIS ANNOUNCE INITIATION OF PHASE IIB STUDY FOR DIABETES DRUG, CS-917

Sankyo and Metabasis Therapeutics has announced the recent initiation of a Phase IIb clinical trial of CS-917 in patients with Type 2 diabetes.

Sankyo licensed CS-917 from Metabasis and is responsible for the global development of the compound. The randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind Phase IIb study is designed to evaluate the effectiveness of CS-917 in lowering blood glucose levels in patients with Type 2 diabetes.

Efficacy of CS-917 will be evaluated by measuring levels of hemogloblin A1c, an accurate long-term index of a patient's average blood glucose control. Results of the Phase IIb study will be used to select the appropriate dosage of CS-917 for use in Phase III clinical trials.