Incyte tests INCB13739 in phase 1 diabetes study

By Elaine Rigoli

Tampa, Fla., June 7 - Incyte Corp. has started a phase 1 clinical trial of INCB13739, an orally available small molecule inhibitor of 11beta-HSD1 (11-beta hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1), an enzyme that appears to be critical to the development of type 2 diabetes.

11beta-HSD1 converts inactive cortisone into the active glucocorticoid, cortisol, a natural antagonist of insulin action, according to a news release.

Human clinical studies have suggested an active role for cortisol in the pathogenesis of human type 2 diabetes, and recent data from preclinical studies have revealed that 11beta-HSD1 and local glucocorticoid production play a critical role in mediating the initiation of insulin resistance and progression to diabetes, the release said.

Therefore, selective inhibitors of 11beta-HSD1 may provide a new class of drugs to treat type 2 diabetes as well as conditions often associated with this disease, such as dyslipidemia, atherosclerosis and coronary heart disease.

Incyte is a Wilmington, Del.-based drug-discovery and development company.

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