Jan. 6, 2011 - Isis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: ISIS) announced that it has added two new drugs to its development pipeline, ISIS-FGFR4Rx and ISIS-STAT3Rx.ISIS-FGFR4Rx is designed to treat obesity by increasing metabolism, particularly by increasing lipid and fat burning. ISIS-FGFR4Rx specifically blocks the production of fibroblast growth factor receptor 4 (FGFR4) in the liver and fat tissue. In addition, ISIS-FGFR4Rx should not reduce FGFR4 expression in the central nervous system (CNS) or heart, thereby avoiding the CNS and cardiovascular side effects associated with many obesity drugs in development. In preclinical studies, inhibition of FGFR4 lowered body weight and enhanced weight loss when administered as a single agent, in combination with a caloric-restricted diet and in combination with an appetite-suppressing drug and a caloric-restricted diet. The reduction in body weight was accompanied by an improvement in insulin sensitivity. ISIS-FGFR4Rx was safe and well tolerated in multiple species. ISIS-FGFR4Rx is the first drug in Isis' metabolic franchise to treat obesity... Isis Pharmaceuticals' Press Release -
