Biopharmaceutical firm Athersys has reported positive top-line results from its randomized, double-blinded, placebo controlled Phase I clinical trial of ATHX-105, its orally administered drug candidate for the treatment of obesity.
ATHX-105 was well-absorbed, providing good drug exposures, well-tolerated up to high doses, and had no negative effect on cardiovascular, hematology or other clinical parameters. Drug exposure and maximum drug concentrations were dose proportionate. In the fed-fasted cohort, food consumption had no apparent effect on drug exposure.

Gil Van Bokkelen, chairman and CEO of Athersys, said: “The data is in line with our expectations for ATHX-105, a highly selective 5HT2c agonist. We believe that these results support the view that better selectivity results in superior tolerability for drugs in this class, which is an important factor for achieving effectiveness and patient compliance.”