BioCentury
ARTICLE | Tools & Techniques

Leptin: Encouraging new data

June 15, 1998 7:00 AM UTC

Amgen Inc. and university researchers on Sunday were to present data from a Phase I/II trial of 123 patients treated with leptin or placebo, showing an average of 15.6 pounds lost over six months by the eight obese patients receiving the highest dose of leptin. The findings presented at the American Diabetes Association meeting in Chicago are the best clinical example to date of leptin's effects as a hormone regulating weight and energy expenditure.

Mark McCamish, AMGN's director of clinical research for the leptin project, said the results in the high-dose group showed a 5 percent weight loss compared to placebo at six months, while other obesity treatments have shown a similar 3-8 percent weight loss after one year. "We would summarize the data as showing a dose response suggesting a biological effect," he said...