BioCentury
ARTICLE | Cover Story

mAb about FGF21

January 10, 2013 8:00 AM UTC

Amgen Inc. has developed an antibody that mimics fibroblast growth factor 21 and has antidiabetic effects in monkeys.1 The findings cap a year of advances that have greatly increased understanding of the protein's tissue-specific actions, and work from groups including Eli Lilly and Co. and Roche's Genentech Inc. unit is informing drug development by at least six companies.

Fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) is a secreted metabolic regulator that improves insulin sensitivity, induces weight loss and lowers levels of blood glucose, triglycerides and low-density lipoproteins (LDLs) when injected in mice and monkeys...