It’s currently in a Phase 1 trial, see here. Prohibitin Targeting Peptide 1 = Adipotide.
Phase 1 trial means that “researchers test an experimental drug or treatment in a small group of people (20-80) for the first time to evaluate its safety, determine a safe dosage range, and identify side effects”, so it’s designed for establishing safety only (although secondary data may be gathered).
Here’s the press release from the substance’s owner, Arrowhead. Excerpt:
Multiple independent [animal!] studies with Adipotide have demonstrated that obese rodents lose up to 30% of their body weight after only 28 days of treatment while lean animals show no weight loss. Studies have also shown that obese animals undergo rapid improvement in pro-diabetic metabolic markers, including significantly improved insulin sensitivity, improved glucose tolerance, and a reduction in serum triglycerides after only 2-3 days of treatment. Adipotide has been further studied in non-human primates, and it has been reported that after 28 days of treatment obese rhesus monkeys lost an average of 11% of their body weight, experienced a reduction in body mass index and abdominal circumference, and showed marked improvements in insulin resistance, a marker for type II diabetes. These data were published in the peer-reviewed journal Science Translational Medicine in November 2011 (Sci Trans Med 3, 108-112 (2011) DOI: 10.1126/scitraslmed.3002621).
However, that phase 1 trial is the only study using the substance with humans. Just that study will run until May 2016, and it’s using prostate cancer patients. It’ll be a while …
Edit: An excerpt from a critical comment about the cited paper, published by the same journal:
The authors of the study conclude that their findings in primates establish adipotide as a prototype for a new class
of candidate drugs that may be useful for treating obesity in humans. The data presented in their paper (Fig. 5C and fig. S3), however, could instead reflect a reduction in food intake induced directly by adipotide that resulted in body weight reduction. (...) This strong reduction in food intake in the absence of an increase in energy expenditure is more than sufficient to explain the reduction in white adipose tissue and body weight reported in this
study. The fact that the reduction in food intake lasted at least 1 week after cessation of adipotide treatment suggests that there may be a toxic effect of adipotide.
… and the response by the authors of the original paper:
(...) an independent report that carefully assessed the effects of adipotide on obese rodents unequivocally concluded that the observed decrease in food intake was not the result of nonspecific visceral illness. (...) The primary event appears to be ligand-directed vascular targeting with subsequent peripheral remodeling of white adipose tissue and an increase in peripheral metabolism. Another potential mechanism, a hypothalamic feedback loop, has been (...) empirically demonstrated, but the central molecular signal remains to be identified. Several recent reports indicate that mechanisms of satiety and satiation are influenced by many factors. Some of these factors could be initiated by the targeted destruction of white adipose tissue followed by a consequent increase in peripheral metabolism and a decrease in food intake. Most recently, a study has established that adipotide improves glucose tolerance independent of body weight and food consumption in obese mice, further supporting our proposed mechanism for the observed effects of adipotide.
However, that phase 1 trial is the only study using the substance with humans. Just that study will run until May 2016, and it’s using prostate cancer patients. It’ll be a while …
It’ll be a while before it is first prescribed by a doctor. Acquiring and consuming it is a whole different question. In fact, promising outcomes from the human trial could lead to the substance itself becoming more difficult to acquire and consume. Or at least less legal. Thankyou FDA (and equivalents). That said, current methods of acquiring the substance make cost a significant factor, as well as lacking the benefits of regulatory oversight.
Past comments by Eliezer lead me to model him as someone who would be averse to taking this kind of risk. He (not unjustifiably) considers his current state to be highly valuable and so has a lot to lose relative to the potential gain. Someone with less to lose but using the same decision algorithm may be more likely to take such risks.
Acquiring the substance may be simpler than I thought. This thread contains an interesting discussion with an apparent chemist about how to have the polypeptide custom-made, in some countries (e.g. Norway) it’s not even patented (yet?). Apparently you can order at some of the same places the researchers order their stuff from, complete with mass spec data as verification, at comparatively low prices—certainly lower than what the official drug will sell for.
at comparatively low prices—certainly lower than what the official drug will sell for.
Lower? Really? That’s surprising. All the previous discussions of custom synthesis sources I had encountered had prohibitive pricing due to lack of economics of scale. ie $6,000 for a cycle.
I’d be very surprised if the patent holder sold a full cycle for $6k or less. Antibodies (think cancer drugs) aren’t on the order of magnitude as expensive to produce as they’re sold for, either. Patients will pay whatever they can if the non-human primate results transfer to humans.
It’s currently in a Phase 1 trial, see here. Prohibitin Targeting Peptide 1 = Adipotide.
Phase 1 trial means that “researchers test an experimental drug or treatment in a small group of people (20-80) for the first time to evaluate its safety, determine a safe dosage range, and identify side effects”, so it’s designed for establishing safety only (although secondary data may be gathered).
Here’s the press release from the substance’s owner, Arrowhead. Excerpt:
However, that phase 1 trial is the only study using the substance with humans. Just that study will run until May 2016, and it’s using prostate cancer patients. It’ll be a while …
Edit: An excerpt from a critical comment about the cited paper, published by the same journal:
… and the response by the authors of the original paper:
It’ll be a while before it is first prescribed by a doctor. Acquiring and consuming it is a whole different question. In fact, promising outcomes from the human trial could lead to the substance itself becoming more difficult to acquire and consume. Or at least less legal. Thankyou FDA (and equivalents). That said, current methods of acquiring the substance make cost a significant factor, as well as lacking the benefits of regulatory oversight.
Past comments by Eliezer lead me to model him as someone who would be averse to taking this kind of risk. He (not unjustifiably) considers his current state to be highly valuable and so has a lot to lose relative to the potential gain. Someone with less to lose but using the same decision algorithm may be more likely to take such risks.
Acquiring the substance may be simpler than I thought. This thread contains an interesting discussion with an apparent chemist about how to have the polypeptide custom-made, in some countries (e.g. Norway) it’s not even patented (yet?). Apparently you can order at some of the same places the researchers order their stuff from, complete with mass spec data as verification, at comparatively low prices—certainly lower than what the official drug will sell for.
Lower? Really? That’s surprising. All the previous discussions of custom synthesis sources I had encountered had prohibitive pricing due to lack of economics of scale. ie $6,000 for a cycle.
I’d be very surprised if the patent holder sold a full cycle for $6k or less. Antibodies (think cancer drugs) aren’t on the order of magnitude as expensive to produce as they’re sold for, either. Patients will pay whatever they can if the non-human primate results transfer to humans.