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| Neptune and Acasti reports superior effect of Drug Candidate CaPre™ over Lovaza® on Impaired Glucose Tolerance |
| Thursday, November 04 2010 | |||||||||
Neptune Technologies & Bioressources Inc. subsidiary Acasti Pharma Inc. reports superior effect of Drug Candidate CaPre™ over Lovaza® on Impaired Glucose Tolerance
Laval,
Québec, CANADA – November 4, 2010 – Neptune Technologies & Bioressources Inc. (“Neptune”) (NASDAQ.NEPT - TSX.V.NTB) subsidiary Acasti Pharma Inc. (“Acasti”) reports preclinical results showing that its leading drug candidate CaPre™, performed significantly better than the currently marketed drug, Lovaza®, at managing impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) a serious pre-diabetic state associated with increased risk of diabetes and heart disease. “These results clearly demonstrate that CaPre™ not only has the ability to modulate favorably blood lipids, but also the ability to potentially lower the detrimental effects of impaired glucose tolerance associated with increased morbidity in cardiometabolic patients, When compared to Lovaza®, our data suggests for CaPre™ a more complete overall effect at a significantly lower and easier to tolerate daily dose” said Dr. Farhad Amiri, Associate-Director, Preclinical Studies. “These results along with previously reported beneficial lipid-management effects of CaPre, repeatedly shown to significantly reduce triglycerides and LDL (“bad cholesterol”) while increasing HDL (“good cholesterol”), suggest that Acasti’s prescription drug candidate CaPre™ potentially offers a more complete lipid management in cardiometabolic patients that are characterized by having both dyslipidema and impaired glucose tolerance than currently available options”, said Dr. Tina Sampalis, President of Acasti. Adult male rats of an established model of severe dyslipidemia and type 2 diabetes, received either 0.5g CaPre™ or 4g Lovaza® in daily human equivalent dosing (HED) over 12 consecutive weeks. At the end of each month, rats were fasted for 12 hours and underwent an Oral Glucose Tolerance Test (OGTT), a routine test for diabetic patients. Briefly, blood glucose levels were measured after 12 hours (overnight) of fasting and then every 30 minutes for 3 hours after ingesting a glucose load. Lovaza® is the only FDA approved prescription fish oil solely indicated for the treatment of severe hypertriglyceridemia (very high triglycerides >500mg/dl). According to market research firm IMS Health, global sales of Lovaza® topped $1 billion in 2009, with $758 million of those sales originating in the U.S. GlaxoSmithKline PLC (LSE/NYSE: GSK) acquired the USA rights to Lovaza® by its acquisition of Reliant Pharmaceuticals Inc., in 2007 for $1.65 billion. About
Neptune
Technologies & Bioressources Inc. Neptune is an
industry-recognized leader in the innovation, production and
formulation of science-based and clinically proven novel phospholipid
products for the nutraceutical and pharmaceutical markets. The
Company focuses on growing consumer health markets including
cardiovascular, inflammatory and neurological diseases driven by
consumers taking a more proactive approach to managing health and
preventing disease. The Company sponsors clinical trials aimed to
demonstrate its product health benefits and to obtain regulatory
approval for label health claims. Neptune is continuously expanding
its intellectual property portfolio as well as clinical studies and
regulatory approvals. Neptune’s products are marketed and
distributed in over 20 countries worldwide. Acasti Pharma is developing a product
portfolio of proprietary novel long-chain omega-3 phospholipids.
Phospholipids are the major component of cell membranes and are
essential for all vital cell processes. They are one of the
principal constituents of High Density Lipoprotein (good
cholesterol) and, as such, play an important role in modulating
cholesterol efflux. Acasti Pharma’s proprietary novel phospholipids
carry and functionalize the polyunsaturated omega-3 fatty acids EPA
and DHA, which have been shown to have substantial health benefits
and which are stabilized by potent antioxidants. Acasti Pharma is
focusing initially on treatments for chronic cardiovascular
conditions within the over-the-counter, medical food and
prescription drug markets. NeuroBioPharm
is pursuing pharmaceutical neurological applications, and a
clinical study for a medical food product with a multinational
partner is already initiated. The development of a prescription drug
candidate is currently in progress. Advanced clinical development
and commercialization is planned to be carried out with
multinational partners.
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