The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the US has given the all clear for phase I trials of Antipotide(a potential new anti-obesity drug), having approved Arrowhead Research Corporation’s Investigational New Drug Application. Only recently did the journal Science Translational Medicine publish research about the success of the drug when administered to rhesus monkeys. This phase I trial will be carried out by researchers at the University of Texas and will commence shortly.
A phase I trial is the first human study of a particular drug and is carried out in order to gauge the metabolic and pharmacological action of the drug in human beings where only a small number of individuals are tested at first. Side effects and reactions to the increase in dose are observed along with how effective the drug is at Phase II of the process. Participants might be healthy or patients who require treatment although specific groups are usually excluded on safety grounds.
Antipotide works by targeting the blood vessels that supply blood to white fat tissue. In the animal study, substantial weight loss and a decrease in BMI and waist circumference were observed. It is very early days for Antoptide so do not expect this medication to get a license any time soon but we will keep you up to date with the drug’s progress.