After the bell:
>>THE WOODLANDS, Texas, Feb. 25 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Lexicon Genetics Incorporated (Nasdaq: LEXG - News) announced today that the Company has identified and physiologically validated a novel target for the development of drugs to treat osteoporosis. Lexicon scientists discovered that inhibiting the enzyme, designated LG881, in female mice resulted in an increase in overall bone mineral density. Most significant was an increase in trabecular bone, the inner meshwork of bone that contributes to bone strength.
Lexicon scientists observed a 52 percent increase in trabecular bone mineral density within the vertebral spinal column and a 144 percent increase in trabecular bone mineral density of the leg femur bone, both key representative fracture points in osteoporosis sufferers. Lexicon plans to develop small molecule drugs that inhibit the enzyme target, which could potentially increase bone density in patients that suffer from osteoporosis.
"Osteoporosis is a potentially debilitating disease that is especially prevalent among women," said Arthur T. Sands, M.D., Ph.D., president and chief executive officer of Lexicon. "The discovery of LG881 could lead to the development of breakthrough drugs for people who suffer from osteoporosis, without the undesirable side effects of many current treatments."
The physiological role of LG881 was uncovered through the Company's industrialized gene knockout program, in which mice lacking specific genes are associated with important medical profiles. Lexicon researchers compared female mice that had LG881 "knocked out" to normal controls. Aside from the increase in bone mineral density, female mice lacking LG881 appeared normal and displayed no harmful side effects.
Lexicon's LG881 is one of its 15 leading drug development programs the company has advanced into its robust drug discovery pipeline. Lexicon is working to develop novel pharmaceutical products in the areas of cardiology, endocrinology-metabolism, immunology, neurology and oncology.
The International Osteoporosis Foundation describes osteoporosis as a disease in which the density and quality of bone are reduced, leading to weakness of the skeleton and increased risk of fracture, particularly of the spine, wrist, hip, pelvis and upper arm.
According to the World Health Organization, the lifetime risk for osteoporotic fractures in women is about 40 percent and 13 percent in men. The most common osteoporosis fractures are fractures of the hip and the vertebrae. It is estimated that hip fractures alone in the United States cost about $10 billion per year. Overall, the National Osteoporosis Foundation estimates that 34 million Americans, or 55% of the people over 50 years old, have low bone mass, which puts them at increased risk of developing osteoporosis and related fractures.
Many current osteoporosis treatments can have unpleasant side effects, which may include chest pain, heartburn and dysphagia. Another therapeutic requires subcutaneous injections and may also cause dizziness and leg cramps. Hormone replacement therapy used historically in the treatment of osteoporosis has recently been linked with higher risks of heart disease and breast cancer.
Global sales of therapeutics for the treatment of osteoporosis in 2001 were estimated at more than $3.1 billion. Global sales of estrogen replacement therapies in the same year were estimated at more than $2.3 billion.<<
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Cheers, Tuck |
