CymaBay Announces Study to Evaluate the Potential for GPR119 Agonists to Prevent Hypoglycemia in Type 1 Diabetes

The AdventHealth Translational Research Institute (TRI) in Orlando, FL to lead the study, funded by the Helmsley Charitable Trust, evaluating MBX-2982, a GPR119 agonist, for its ability to increase secretion of glucagon, a hormone that reverses low blood glucose levels (hypoglycemia) in individuals with type 1 diabetes (T1D)

NEWARK, Calif., Nov. 05, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CymaBay Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: CBAY), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing therapies for liver and other chronic diseases with high unmet need, today announced it will provide its proprietary investigational GPR119 agonist, MBX-2982, and will assist in regulatory filings for a clinical study to be conducted by the TRI. CymaBay wholly owns and retains all rights to MBX-2982. The objective of the study is to determine if GPR119 agonists have potential to prevent hypoglycemia for people living with T1D. The trial is funded by a nearly $1.2 million grant from The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust (Helmsley).

Glucagon is a hormone secreted by the pancreas, that naturally reverses hypoglycemia by signaling the body to release stored glucose. This process is defective in individuals with insulin-dependent diabetes, such as T1D. If left uncorrected, hypoglycemia can lead to unconsciousness or death. Preventing episodes of hypoglycemia in persons with diabetes is an unmet medical need: according to the 2016 global HAT study of 27,000 people, 4 out of 5 individuals with T1D reported hypoglycemia, with a rate of severe hypoglycemia (requiring assistance of another person) of approximately 5 events per patient-year.

In recent preclinical studies, GPR119 agonists were shown to enhance glucagon secretion in response to low glucose levels, and were able to prevent hypoglycemia in animal models. To translate these findings, the TRI in Orlando, FL will test CymaBay’s MBX-2982 in a Phase 2a proof-of-pharmacology study to determine whether the drug can enhance glucagon secretion during insulin-induced hypoglycemia in subjects with T1D.

Sujal Shah, President and CEO of CymaBay, stated, “We are grateful to be able to contribute to this effort to evaluate MBX-2982, an agonist of GPR119, for its potential to treat individuals at risk for insulin-induced hypoglycemia, one of the most challenging and potentially life threatening complications of insulin therapy in diabetes.”

Richard Pratley, MD the Samuel E. Crockett Chair in Diabetes Research and Diabetes Program Head at the TRI said, “Hypoglycemia is common among persons with T1D and is a barrier to achieving optimal glycemic control for many patients. This is a unique opportunity to explore whether a clinical-stage class of drugs can address a key unmet need in the management of T1D.”