Advinus complete first phase of trials for type 2 diabetes drug

Pharmaceutical company Advinus Therapeutics has finished its first phase of human clinical testing for its new drug treatment that targets type 2 diabetes, and is now hoping to out-licence the molecule for further clinical trials.
The drug, which was administered to about 40 healthy subjects before being repeated in type 2 diabetics in a double-blinded placebo study, was found to successfully lower glucose levels, and not cause any hypoglycemia .
Rashmi Barbhaiya, chief executive and managing director of Advinus, said “We are very excited about the development. While this particular target has been known for the past 10–15 years, it has failed because it leads to hypoglycemia. In our first phase of human clinical trials, we found no evidence of hypoglycemia even though the drug did reduce glucose levels.”
Advinus will not be moving the drug to the next stage of development on its own due because of the amount of investment needed, as well as size of the clinical trial. The company expects to finalise the out-licensing deal over the next six months.
Barbhaiya added “We will find a partner who has a good track record of taking a partner molecule to successful conclusion. We have worked in big pharma and know that after a few years priorities can change. So, we will put in some stringent timelines and commitment to put enough resources and money in the contract.”