Gelesis presents lead products data at Obesity 2010 Annual Meeting

Gelesis, Inc., a Boston-based company focused on breakthrough treatments for obesity, presented new results at Obesity 2010, the 28th Annual Scientific Meeting of The Obesity Society (San Diego).  The new data demonstrated that its lead products (Attiva and Gellica) dramatically reduced food intake in a gold-standard animal model compared to administration of an equal amount of water.  

"It was intriguing that the significant effect lasted for up to 18 hours, far longer than the transit time of the hydrogels in the stomach, therefore suggesting that these materials are acting through multiple mechanisms important for regulation of hunger, satiety and food intake," said lead author Dr. Hassan Heshmati, Chief Medical Officer of Gelesis.

According to the study, acute oral administration of Attiva and Gellica, two novel superabsorbent biodegradable hydrogels in development by Gelesis, significantly decreases food intake in rats when compared to administration of a similar amount of water.  This effect on food intake is likely due to a combination of transient reduction of the available stomach volume and delayed gastric emptying.  Additional mechanisms involving the small intestine could also be present. This new animal data is consistent with the previously reported human data with Attiva that showed that people felt greater satiety after administration of Attiva.  The previously published human data also showed a "second meal effect" whereby patients given Attiva at lunch felt significantly less hungry before the start of dinner, supported by the mechanistic data being reported today.

Obesity is a major cause of death worldwide, yet adequate therapies for obesity have been elusive. Close to two billion individuals are either overweight or obese according to the World Health Organization. No one has been successful at developing a safe and effective treatment for obesity despite the multi-billion dollar potential for such a product.

Pharmaceutical attempts have been limited by modest efficacy and challenging safety profiles. Surgical intervention to reduce stomach volume mechanically is effective but the use of that invasive approach is limited to morbidly obese patients. Gelesis has taken an innovative non-pharmacological, non-invasive approach to the surgical volume reduction mechanism. The product concept involves the decrease of functional stomach volume, with a patient swallowing capsules containing individual particles that swell to 100 times their original size in the stomach environment. Delivered in a capsule, Gelesis technology was designed to work mechanically via several physiological mechanisms in the gastrointestinal tract that induce satiation when one eats a full meal. A video and animation of the Gelesis technology is available at www.gelesis.com/content/technology/.

"These results further validate our novel approach and are consistent with our previously reported human clinical data," said Yishai Zohar, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Gelesis. "We are committed to continuing the clinical development of this important new therapy."