June 2, 2009— AMRI (NASDAQ: AMRI) announced the selection of a compound from its proprietary obesity treatment research program for advanced preclinical testing, with the goal of submitting an Investigational New Drug Application (IND) with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2010. AMRI's drug candidate is a novel MCH-1 receptor antagonist offering a promising new approach for the treatment of obesity. Melanin concentrating hormone (MCH) is a potent appetite stimulating peptide known to exert an effect on food intake and body weight regulation. In preclinical disease models, AMRI's small molecule antagonists of the MCH-1 receptor have demonstrated efficacy in rodent models of obesity, delivering weight loss that rivals currently available therapeutics, suggesting the potential for improved therapy in humans.
Pending favorable results in toxicity and safety pharmacology testing, AMRI estimates that it will submit an IND for this compound in the first half of 2010. Subject to FDA review, the submission of an IND would allow subsequent initiation of Phase I human clinical trials... AMRI's Press Release -
