JERUSALEM, May 2, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Oramed
Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ: ORMP) (www.oramed.com), a
clinical-stage pharmaceutical company focused on the development of
oral drug delivery systems, announced today that based on positive
preclinical data, the Company is developing a new drug candidate, a
weight loss treatment in the form of an oral leptin capsule.
Leptin, also known as the "obesity hormone" is a protein that
regulates hunger. According to Grand View Research, the overall
obesity market is expected to reach $15.6
billion in 2024.
Israel's Ministry of Health has
approved Oramed's commencement of a proof of concept single dose
study for its oral leptin drug candidate to evaluate its
pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamics (glucagon reduction) in ten
type 1 diabetic patients.
"Obesity rates are increasing worldwide and contributing to many
other health conditions including diabetes. Leptin's role in
obesity is well defined and we believe an oral leptin capsule would
have a role in helping to control and reduce obesity. An oral
leptin capsule is an appropriate fit in our portfolio of drug
candidates. Obesity and diabetes are highly correlated and insulin
resistance has been found to generate leptin resistance," stated
Oramed CEO, Nadav Kidron. "We look
forward to initiating oral leptin studies in humans later this
year."
About Leptin
Leptin, sometimes called the obesity, fat or satiety hormone, is
a protein that is produced in fat cells located in adipose tissues
and sends signals to the hypothalamus in the brain. Leptin helps to
regulate and alter long-term food intake and energy expenditure.
Leptin helps to inhibit hunger and regulate energy balance.
Although leptin reduces appetite, obese individuals generally
exhibit a higher concentration of leptin in their blood than normal
weight individuals. These people show resistance to leptin, similar
to resistance of insulin in type 2 diabetes. Leptin has
additionally been shown to suppress glucagon secretion and improve
glucose levels in type 1 diabetes.
About Oramed Pharmaceuticals
Oramed Pharmaceuticals is a platform technology pioneer in the
field of oral delivery solutions for drugs currently delivered via
injection. Established in 2006, Oramed's PODTM technology is based
on over 30 years of research by scientists at Jerusalem's Hadassah Medical Center. Oramed is
seeking to revolutionize the treatment of diabetes through its
proprietary flagship product, an orally ingestible insulin capsule
(ORMD-0801). The Company completed multiple Phase II clinical
trials of ORMD-0801 under an Investigational New Drug application
with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. In addition, Oramed is
developing an oral GLP-1 analog capsule (ORMD-0901).
For more information, the content of which is not part of this
press release, please visit www.oramed.com
Forward-looking statements: This press release
contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the
Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and other federal
securities laws. Words such as "expects," "anticipates," "intends,"
"plans," "believes," "seeks," "estimates" and similar expressions
or variations of such words are intended to identify
forward-looking statements. For example, we are using
forward-looking statements when we discuss our belief that an oral
leptin capsule would have a role in helping to control and reduce
obesity, when we discuss initiating oral leptin studies in humans
later this year and when we discuss revolutionizing the treatment
of diabetes with our products. These forward-looking statements are
based on the current expectations of the management of Oramed only,
and are subject to a number of factors and uncertainties that could
cause actual results to differ materially from those described in
the forward-looking statements, including the risks and
uncertainties related to the progress, timing, cost, and results of
clinical trials and product development programs; difficulties or
delays in obtaining regulatory approval or patent protection for
our product candidates; competition from other pharmaceutical or
biotechnology companies; and our ability to obtain additional
funding required to conduct our research, development and
commercialization activities. In addition, the following factors,
among others, could cause actual results to differ materially from
those described in the forward-looking statements: changes in
technology and market requirements; delays or obstacles in
launching our clinical trials; changes in legislation; inability to
timely develop and introduce new technologies, products and
applications; lack of validation of our technology as we progress
further and lack of acceptance of our methods by the scientific
community; inability to retain or attract key employees whose
knowledge is essential to the development of our products;
unforeseen scientific difficulties that may develop with our
process; greater cost of final product than anticipated; loss of
market share and pressure on pricing resulting from competition;
laboratory results that do not translate to equally good results in
real settings; our patents may not be sufficient; and finally that
products may harm recipients, all of which could cause the actual
results or performance of Oramed to differ materially from those
contemplated in such forward-looking statements. Except as
otherwise required by law, Oramed undertakes no obligation to
publicly release any revisions to these forward-looking statements
to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof or to
reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. For a more detailed
description of the risks and uncertainties affecting Oramed,
reference is made to Oramed's reports filed from time to time with
the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Company Contact
Oramed Pharmaceuticals
Estee Yaari
+1-877-9-ORAMED
Email: estee@oramed.com
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SOURCE Oramed Pharmaceuticals Inc.