POXEL SA, a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of innovative treatments for metabolic disorders including type 2 diabetes and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), has revealed new preclinical results for PXL770, the lead molecule in the company's adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) platform, it was reported on Monday'.

The platforms is a direct AMPK activator that was assessed in a rodent NASH model in combination with other key agents in development, including an FXR agonist (obeticholic acid), a GLP-1 receptor agonist (semaglutide) and a thyroid receptor β agonist (MGL-3196). The results revealed the product as a potentially novel NASH therapy that is also likely to produce complementary benefits when integrated with other agents with different mechanisms of action. The product was also assessed in rodent models of diabetic kidney disease that also evaluated cardiac dysfunction and adrenoleukodystrophy/ adrenomyeloneuropathy. These results indicate that AMPK activation is likely to lead to broader utility for other diseases mediated by metabolic pathway dysfunction.

David E Moller, MD, Poxel CSO, said, 'AMPK is a compelling pharmaceutical target that has been observed to modulate both metabolic and inflammatory pathways and has the potential to treat several chronic and rare metabolic diseases. Our new preclinical data highlights the potential of PXL770 to show even greater additive or synergistic benefits to treat the root causes of NASH when combined with other agents in development. We are also very excited by the new findings implicating the potential of PXL770 and, more broadly, of AMPK activation for the treatment of other serious chronic disorders ranging from common to rare monogenic metabolic disorders.'