SCN, Scandinavian Clinical Nutrition : diagnosis and research in the field of virus‐induced obesity

April 8, 2008 - SCN has signed a world‐wide license agreement for the patent rights to the obesity related virus adenovirus 36 (AD36). The agreement is signed between SCN and the internationally renowned researcher and Professor Richard L. Atkinson. In conjunction with the agreement, SCN has initiated additional research cooperation with Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, one of Europe’s leading medical universities, and Professor Atkinson. SCN aims for a commercial launch of its first diagnostic tests within six to twelve months.
Professor Atkinson comments; “The results from a number of research projects indicate that between 30 and 57 percent of obese people and as much as 18 percent of lean people could be infected by the human adenovirus AD36.” Results from animal testing show that nearly all individuals infected by the virus had significantly more fat compared with a control group of lean animals, even though their food intake was in fact less... [PDF] Scandinavian Clinical Nutrition's press Release -

Memory Pharmaceuticals : Advance Development and Clinical Programs

March 12, 2008 - Memory Pharmaceuticals Corp. (Nasdaq: MEMY) announced that it has realigned its operations, reallocated its resources and extended the preclinical research portion of its PDE10 collaboration with Amgen. The Company will focus its near-term and mid- term efforts on two partnered programs, its nicotinic alpha-7 receptor agonist collaboration with Roche and the PDE10 collaboration with Amgen, and two proprietary programs, its PDE4 inhibitor and 5-HT6 antagonist programs...(...)
- 5-HT6 Antagonist Program. 5-HT6 antagonists are potential treatments for Alzheimer's disease, schizophrenia, attention deficit disorder and obesity. Memory Pharmaceuticals has generated a portfolio of novel, potent and selective 5-HT6 antagonists and is evaluating several lead compounds as potential development candidates. The Company plans to advance the program into clinical trials by the end of 2008... Memory Pharmaceuticals' Press Release -

Genaera Corporation : MSI-1436 Data Presented at Society of Neuroscience Meeting

March 28th, 2008 - Genaera Corporation (NASDAQ: GENR) announced that preclinical data was presented Thursday at the Chicago Chapter of the Society of Neuroscience by Mitchell F. Roitman, Ph.D., a Genaera collaborator and investigator with the University of Illinois at Chicago. The abstract titled “A novel anti-obesity drug MSI-1436 does not alter the rate of dopamine uptake via the dopamine transporter,” demonstrates that MSI-1436 does not inhibit the dopamine transporter in vivo by directly measuring dopamine levels in the brain of rats after MSI-1436 administration.
Dopamine is a neurotransmitter found in the brain which can have affects on locomotor function and addictive behavior. Many drugs that reduce food intake and body weight affect the rate of dopamine reuptake by inhibiting the dopamine transporter (DAT), such as amphetamine and bupropion. Such compounds, which inhibit the dopamine transporter, are considered undesirable as weight-loss drugs since they affect locomotor behavior and may have high addictive potential... Genaera 's Press Release -

Merck : Phase III Data Showed Taranabant, its Investigational Medicine to Treat Obesity, Led to Statistically Significant Weight Loss

March 31, 2008 - Fifty-two week results of a two-year Phase III study of taranabant, Merck's investigational cannabinoid-1 receptor (CB1R) blocker, showed patients experienced statistically significant weight loss when taking the drug in combination with diet and exercise. These findings were presented today at the 57th annual scientific session of the American College of Cardiology... Merck's Press Release -

VIVUS : Enrollment in Phase 3 EQUIP (OB-302) Tria

March 27, 2008--VIVUS, Inc. (NASDAQ: VVUS), a pharmaceutical company dedicated to the development and commercialization of novel therapeutic products, announced that it has completed enrollment in the first of two pivotal phase 3 studies of Qnexa(TM) in obese patients. The EQUIP study (OB-302) has enrolled over 1,250 morbidly obese patients with a Body Mass Index ("BMI") that equals or exceeds 35. The co-primary endpoints for these studies are the mean percent weight loss and the percentage of subjects achieving weight loss of 5% or more... VIVUS' Press Release -