Vancouver, British Columbia – December 7, 2012 – Sirona Biochem Corp. (TSX-V: SBM), announced its sodium glucose transporter (SGLT) inhibitor for Type 2 diabetes reduced blood glucose more effectively than Johnson and Johnson’s canagliflozin, an advanced SGLT inhibitor being considered for market approval in Europe and the U.S. Studies compared Sirona Biochem’s SGLT Inhibitor, SBM-TFC-039, with canagliflozin and were conducted on Zucker Diabetic Fatty (ZDF) rats.
In the study, SBM-TFC-039 significantly and rapidly reduced blood glucose levels at a dose of 1.0 mg/kg. Six (6) hours after administration, SBM-TFC-039 reduced blood glucose by 44% compared to canagliflozin at 26%. SBM-TFC-039 also had a longer duration of effect than canagliflozin. At 36 and 48 hours after treatment, SBM-TFC-039, at a dose of 1.0 mg/kg, was still effective at reducing blood glucose, whereas canagliflozin lost its effect after 36 hours. Studies were conducted at the Institut Universitaire de Cardiologie et de Pneumologie de Québec (IUCPQ) by Principal Investigator Dr. Denis Richard, Research Chair on Obesity and Professor, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Anatomy & Physiology at Laval University.
“SGLT Inhibitors are a ground-breaking new treatment for Type 2 diabetes and these results demonstrate that SBM-TFC-039 will be a significant competitor for other SGLT Inhibitors,” said Neil Belenkie, Chief Executive Officer of Sirona Biochem. “The first SGLT Inhibitor, Forxiga™, was approved last month by the European Commission. We believe there is tremendous market potential worldwide for SGLT Inhibitors in the treatment of diabetes.”
SBM-TFC-039 is a sodium glucose transporter (SGLT) inhibitor. SGLT inhibitors are a new class of drug candidates for the treatment of diabetes. In the kidneys, SGLT inhibitors reduce the reabsorption of glucose into the bloodstream by eliminating excess glucose into the urine.
About Sirona Biochem Corp.
Sirona Biochem is a biotechnology company developing diabetes therapeutics, skin depigmenting and anti-aging agents for cosmetic use, biological ingredients and cancer vaccine antigens. The company utilizes a proprietary chemistry technique to improve pharmaceutical properties of carbohydrate-based molecules. For more information visit www.sironabiochem.com.
Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
For more information regarding this press release, contact:
Julie Jang
Director, Communications
Sirona Biochem Corp.
Phone: 604.282.6065
Email: jjang@sironabiochem.com
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