OSI SUBSIDIARY INITIATES PHASE II STUDY WITH THE DP-IV INHIBITOR PSN9301

OSI Pharmaceuticals has announced that Prosidion, its UK subsidiary focused on the discovery and development of diabetes and obesity therapeutics, has initiated a Phase II proof-of-concept and dose-range finding study with the Dipeptidyl Peptidase-IV (DP-IV) inhibitor PSN9301.

The study will enroll approximately 60 patients into a two-week in-house dosing and monitoring protocol. The study is being conducted in Berlin, Germany. The development of inhibitors of DP-IV (an enzyme catalyzing the breakdown of the natural hormone Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1)) has become a very competitive area in the Type 2 diabetes field.

PSN9301, an oral, small molecule inhibitor of DP-IV, is designed to prevent the breakdown of GLP-1 (a glucose-dependent stimulator of insulin secretion) in the period following meals where the need to reduce blood glucose levels in Type 2 diabetic patients is most critical.