Scohia has presented the results of a Phase I clinical trial for SCO-267, an orally bioavailable GPR40 full agonist, at the Virtual Scientific Sessions of the American Diabetes Association.
Free fatty acid receptor 1 (GPR40) is a G protein-coupled receptor expressed in pancreatic islet and enteroendocrine cells, and SCO-267 is potentially a first in class full agonist of this receptor. To the best of Scohia’s knowledge, it is the first to reveal the effects of single- and multiple-oral doses of GPR40 full agonist in healthy adults and diabetic patients. SCO-267 was safe and well tolerated at all tested doses and exhibited good potential for once daily dosing.
In the study, Scohia demonstrated that SCO-267-mediated full agonism of GPR40 stimulates the secretion of both islet and gut hormones, including insulin, glucagon, glucagon-like peptide 1, glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide, and peptide YY in humans. Oral administration of SCO-267 remarkably decreased fasting hyperglycemia and improved glycemic control during an oral glucose tolerance test in diabetic patients, without inducing hypoglycemia.
These results collectively suggest a clinical potential of SCO-267 in treating diabetes. Based on its feature of stimulating islet and gut hormones, which regulate metabolism and body weight, SCO-267 may exhibit clinical benefits in treating diabetes, obesity, and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis. Therefore, SCO-267 is currently being prepared for a Phase II clinical trial.
