metabolic's obesity drug trial successful

Metabolic's obesity drug trial successful
09:05, Monday, 13 December 2004

Sydney - Monday - December 13: (RWE Australian Business News) -

Metabolic Pharmaceuticals Ltd today announced its obesity drug would
enter final human trials next year after completing a Phase 2b human
trial which proved the drug induces weight loss and is very well
tolerated with no evidence of the side-effects commonly experienced with
existing obesity drugs.

The drug, which stimulates the metabolism of body fat, is the
first of its kind in the world, according to Metabolic.

All other obesity drugs artificially reduce appetite or food
absorption.

The drug - codenamed AOD9604 - was taken orally once a day by
300 obese patients at five trial sites over a 12-week period.

Six doses were used - 0mg (placebo), 1mg, 5mg, 10mg, 20mg and
30mg.

The group receiving the 1mg dose lost the most weight, averaging
a weight loss over the 12 weeks of 2.8 kilograms, more than triple the
weight lost by those on placebo, who lost an average of 0.8 kilograms.

The rate of weight loss was maintained throughout the treatment
period, an encouraging trend for expectations of longer-term dosing.

The weight lost by the 1mg group was slightly more than that
achieved by the world's largest selling prescription obesity medication
in similar trials over the same period, without its troublesome
side-effects.

The trial results also demonstrated a small but consistent
improvement in cholesterol profiles, and a reduction in the number of
patients with impaired glucose tolerance.

Metabolic will be reinstated to trading today, along with
Circadian Technologies Ltd, which owns 21 per cent of Metabolic.

ENDS

Copyright © 2004 RWE Australian Business News. All rights reserved.

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I don't hold MBP, unfortunately.