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Biotech / Medical : Pharma News Only (pfe,mrk,wla, sgp, ahp, bmy, lly) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Anthony Wong who wrote (954)	10/22/1998 7:00:00 PM
From: Anthony Wong	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 1722

Bristol-Myers Compound May Lower Cholesterol, Study Suggests Bloomberg News October 22, 1998, 3:01 p.m. PT Bristol-Myers Compound May Lower Cholesterol, Study Suggests Washington, Oct. 22 (Bloomberg) -- An experimental compound under development by Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. may offer a way to lower unhealthy levels of blood cholesterol, according to promising results from a study done in rabbits. The findings also bode well for the sophisticated techniques used to develop the compound, which is the result of genetic research, molecular engineering, and new methods of drug design, researchers said. While it is still too soon to say if the cholesterol- lowering benefit seen in the animal trials will hold true in people, the study's results led to the recent start of small initial tests in humans, Bristol-Myers officials said. ''These results suggest (the compound) has potential applications for the therapeutic lowering'' of ''bad'' cholesterol, researchers wrote in the study reporting their results. The study appears in tomorrow's issue of the journal Science. That results could be good news for the millions of Americans who have high levels of the blood lipids that contribute to buildup and hardening of plaque deposits along the walls of the arteries. Called atherosclerosis, this buildup is one of the leading causes of cardiovascular disease and can increase the risk of stroke, heart attack, and death. Isolated Compounds Certain people who have a rare genetic defect carry abnormally low levels of blood cholesterol. These dangerously low levels are the result of a flaw in a protein that helps build the blood fats, or lipids, which include good and bad cholesterol. Researchers at the company isolated chemical compounds that act to block the action of that protein, though not to the extent that it is blocked in people with the genetic flaw. They then engineered the molecules, molding them to build a different and more ideal compound that can be taken orally and which has potent action against the protein. In initial trials in rats and hamsters, the compound, called BMS-201038, appeared to dramatically lower their levels of cholesterol. The researchers then tested the compound in rabbits genetically engineered to have extremely high cholesterol. At high doses, the compound appeared to bring to normal the levels of the potentially dangerous cholesterol in the rabbits' blood. The researchers didn't find signs of significant adverse events or other side effects linked to BMS-201038. The compound is now in early safety trials with a small number of patients. These studies, the first of three sets required by the Food and Drug Administration, are aimed at showing the drug is safe for use in humans. Only then will the company begin to study whether the compound can help human patients. Current entries in the multibillion dollar market for cholesterol lowering treatments include Warner-Lambert Co.'s hot Lipitor drug, Merck & Co.'s Zocor drug and Bristol-Myers' Pravachol. --Kristin Reed in Washington (202) 624-1858 /ba