Diabesity

I was introduced to the term diabesity by Vitae Pharmaceuticals’ Chief Scientific Officer Richard Gregg, MD, who took the time to speak with me about drug development in the obesity/diabetes/lipid space—what is medically referred to as metabolic syndrome and also the extended cardiometabolic diseases.

Said Dr. Gregg: “A term that is bandied about a bit, doesn’t have a lot of visibility but is talked about at some meetings and publications, is diabesity. That term just indicates the close association between obesity and diabetes. Not all diabetics are obese and not all obese people are diabetics. But the majority of type II diabetics are at least overweight if not obese and the majority of obese individuals if not overtly diabetic at least have multiple components of the metabolic syndrome.”

He continued on what the diabesity population comprises: “They may not have frank hyperglycemia but they’ll be mildly hyperglycemic. They won’t be frankly hypertensive, but they may have blood pressures of 140 over 85 or 135 over 85 rather than 120 over 80. And they may not be frankly dyslipidemic but you’ll have a bunch of these mildly elevated risk factors that when you put them in toto will make them at very high risk for cardiovascluar disease.”

It was somewhat surprising to me to find that medical experts have a more catchy phrase for a medical condition. Which would explain why the Cardiometabolic Disorders, my special report last month, was called that and not Diabesity. Last month, I didn’t know diabesity existed. Today, I do.

I spoke to Dr. Gregg for an upcoming podcast, which will be posted in November.  For now, I can tell you that Dr. Gregg offered his thoughts on what CROs and service providers are going to need to offer sponsors developing those drugs in Phase I through III trials. Measurements will change, and  the ability to monitor multiple endpoints necessary for these co-morbidities.

Vitae Pharmaceuticals has a strategic alliance with Boehringer Ingelheim to identify and develop novel 11beta-HSD-1 inhibitors for clinical development.