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Perlegen Seeking Genes Responsible for Actos(R) and Avandia(R) Side-Effects; Completed Collection of 3,000 DNA Samples

Posted on: Friday, 15 June 2007, 13:54 CDT

Perlegen Sciences announced today that it has completed the collection of more than 3,000 DNA samples from diabetic patients treated with Actos® and Avandia® in order to analyze the genetic variability associated with adverse events due to treatment with this class of medications.

An estimated 200 million people worldwide have type 2 diabetes, including close to 20 million in the United States. In the late 1990s, insulin sensitizing thiazolidinediones (TZDs, the class of drugs to which Actos® and Avandia® belong) were approved in the United States for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. The main side effect from TZDs is fluid retention, leading to edema, weight gain, and potentially aggravating heart failure. Last week, the US Food and Drug Administration requested "black box" labels be added to the packaging of both drugs, warning about the risk of cardiovascular events. This new labeling may significantly impact the use of these agents.

Perlegen, a leader in identifying genetic variation related to drug response and predisposition to disease, has collected DNA from more than 3,000 subjects in more than 160 centers worldwide who have been treated with Actos® or Avandia®. Perlegen will use these samples to identify genetic variations that may contribute to a patient's risk of experiencing adverse events. Results of these analyses may help to direct patients to the drug that is most appropriate for their use, and may provide researchers with important new targets or pathways for drug discovery and development. The company has licensed its own phase III ready TZD from Mitsubishi Pharma.

"Our early results have demonstrated a significant genetic component to the adverse effect profile of these TZDs," commented David R. Cox, MD, PhD, Perlegen's Chief Scientific Officer, "Through our analysis of this valuable sample set, using both genotyping and sequencing technologies, we hope to provide patients and physicians with critical decision making information, while revealing biological insights that will enable the discovery of safer medicines."

About Perlegen Sciences

Perlegen's mission is to discover and commercialize genetic variations that can make a difference to patients and physicians. The company's expertise is in understanding human genetic variation within and across diverse patient populations and in conducting studies aimed at identifying those variations that are predictive of drug response. Perlegen also applies its expertise to discovering genetic variations associated with disease, to enable the discovery of novel targets leading to new therapeutics as well as clinically useful diagnostics or biomarkers.

Source: Business Wire

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