Genfit announces its development plan for GFT505

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Genfit, a biopharmaceutical company at the forefront of drug discovery and development, focusing on the early diagnosis and preventive treatment of cardiometabolic and associated disorders, announced on 28 June 2010 plans to advance the development of GFT505, its leading drug candidate, following the completion of several clinical studies demonstrating its efficacy and safety in different patient populations.

In a double-blind, placebo-controlled phase IIa clinical trial (GFT505-2094) conducted in 47 pre-diabetic patients with elevated fasting glucose, impaired glucose tolerance, and abdominal obesity, treatment with GFT505 (80mg/day) for 28 consecutive days led to a significant decrease in fasting plasma glucose, fasting plasma insulin, and consequently an improvement of the HOMA insulin resistance index. In parallel, patients treated with GFT505 experienced a significant reduction of LDL-C with a reduction in triglycerides and an increase in HDL-C. In addition, GFT505 significantly reduced the pro-atherogenic apolipoproteins (ApoCIII, ApoB) and increased anti-atherogenic apolipoproteins (ApoAI and ApoAII).


In another double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase IIa clinical trial (GFT505-2083) conducted in 98 patients with atherogenic dyslipidemia (high triglycerides, low HDL-C) and abdominal obesity, treatment with GFT505 (80mg/day) for 28 consecutive days led to a significant reduction in plasma triglycerides and a significant increase in HDL-C levels. Parallel decreases in pro-atherogenic apolipoproteins (ApoCIII, ApoB) and increases of anti-atherogenic apolipoproteins (ApoAI, ApoAII) were also observed.


In both studies, the anti-inflammatory effects of GFT505 were demonstrated by significant and similar reductions in plasma fibrinogen and haptoglobin. Importantly, GFT505 had clear statistically significant beneficial effects on two indicators of fatty-liver dysfunction, alanine amino transferase and gamma glutamyl transpeptidase, while it did not affect the plasma level of aspartate amino transferase.


These phase IIa trials confirm the safety of use of GFT505, with no safety concern identified. Notably, at an effective dose of 80mg/day, GFT505 did not increase plasma homocysteine, a cardiovascular risk factor known to be increased by pure PPARagonists.

 

These results were presented during a poster session at the American Diabetes Association’s 70th Scientific Sessions in Orlando, Florida.

 

In multiple phase I trials that included a total of 168 healthy volunteers treated with single or repeated (14 days) oral doses, GFT505 was well tolerated up to the maximal dose tested (100mg/day), with no clear treatment emergent adverse event. Moreover, there was no clinically significant pharmacokinetic interaction between GFT505 and simvastatin as determined in a specific phase I trial.