No pain AND no gain
People who need to lose weight want to do so without feeling like they are constantly hungry. Nastech Inc. says that its intranasal version of the natural hormone PYY3-36 induces a feeling of satiety in patients that measurably reduces their calorie intake. Merck & Co. Inc. last week entered into a deal with NSTK to develop the compound, which would add to the pharma company's pipeline of obesity compounds in Phase I and Phase II development.
According to Steven Quay, NSTK's chairman, president and CEO, PYY3-36's mechanism of action is different from most other compounds being tested in obesity. The native hormone, PYY, is produced by L cells in the gut in response to the number of calories a person consumes. From there, it is released into the bloodstream. "So, if you just eat a snack or if you gorge yourself, you'll get different levels of PYY produced," he said. ...