NP01
A new pharmaceutical product based upon vanadium and Aonys, NP01 improves insulin sensitivity leading to insulin-sensitisation of peripheral tissues.
As a consequence, glucose homeostasis is dramatically improved with better glucose uptake in insulin target tissues such as: skeletal muscle, liver and adipose tissue. Hepatic glucose output is reduced, whereas glycolysis and lipogenesis are enhanced.
Vanadium
Vanadium has long been known to exhibit anti-diabetic activity principally through its role in insulin sensitisation of peripheral tissues. However, its development as a pharmaceutical product has not been possible due to the poor therapeutic window of orally administered vanadium salts which require relatively high doses (mg/kg) to provide the desired anti-diabetic effect.
NP01
Aonys enhances cellular delivery of metal ions where the combination of vanadium and Aonys provides a low dose buccal formulation of vanadium which provides glycemic and insulinemic control at very low dose (ug/kg). These low doses provide good glycemic control with no side effects, and hence a large therapeutic window. Animal studies have shown that NP01 provides better glycemic and insulinemic control than the current leading anti-diabetic drugs: metformin and rosiglitazone whilst exhibiting none of the side effects associated with these drugs.
Status
NP01 has successfully completed chronic pre-clinical toxicology studies and will enter into phase I clinical trials in June 2009. Phase IIa clinical trials will be initiated in December 2009. NP01 is manufactured to cGMP quality standards.
