Study of Gemcabene in Adults With FPLD

Overview

The overall objective of this study is to assess the efficacy and safety of two dosing regimens of gemcabene (300 mg once daily for 24 weeks or 300 mg daily for 12 weeks followed by 600 mg daily for 12 weeks) in up to eight patients with Familial Partial Lipodystrophy with high triglycerides and Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease. The study will consist of a six week Wash Out Period, up to a 28 day Screening Period, a 24 week Treatment Period, and a follow-on safety assessment four weeks post final dose. Study participation will last approximately 4 months and includes at least 9 study visits, and can be as many as 11 study visits.

Patients with typical Familial Partial Lipodystrophy Disease (FPLD) have a marked loss of subcutaneous fat from the extremities and trunk accompanied by a variable amount of excess fat deposition in the nonlipodystrophic areas such as the face, chin, back, and intraabdominal regions. Dietary fat restriction and other lifestyle changes are first line therapy to avoid weight gain, critical for effective management of metabolic complications in patients with lipodystrophy. However, despite lifestyle changes and conventional hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic therapies, some FPLD patients continue to have extreme hypertriglyceridemia, hepatic steatosis, and poorly controlled diabetes.Hypertriglyceridemia is a common condition of FPLD and serum triglyceride levels of 250-1999 mg/dL, classified as moderate to severe hypertriglyceridemia, indicate risk for development of very severe hypertriglyceridemia, causative of pancreatitis and hepatic steatosis. In patients such as those with FPLD with severe or very severe hypertriglyceridemia, fibrates, omega-3 fatty acids (OMG-3) and occasionally niacin are first-line therapy. Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is often associated with FPLD. The spectrum of NAFLD associated with FPLD which appears to be more frequent than what is seen in common Type 2 diabetes and appears more severe than common forms of NAFLD and very often associated with NASH. The etiology for the latter is not clear, however, the fact that a mouse model of liver specific laminopathy develops NASH in a cell -autonomous manner suggests that the specific cellular defects seen in FPLD may play a role in the development of NAFLD/NASH. Triglyceride content in the liver is regulated by fatty acid uptake as well as fatty acid and VLDL production rates. Derangements in these processes, such as excessive production of fatty acids and triglycerides that can occur with excessive carbohydrate consumption contribute to NAFLD. Patients with NAFLD compared to controls, present with an atherogenic dyslipidemic profile, characterized by increased serum levels of triglycerides, ApoB, VLDL-C, and LDL-C with a proportionally greater content of small dense LDL-C (sdLDL-C) 18-20. NAFLD is also associated with aberrant nuclear receptor function and systemic inflammation. NAFLD can progress to NASH. NASH is marked by hepatocyte ballooning and liver inflammation, which may progress to scarring and irreversible damage. Macro and microscopically, NASH is characterized by lobular and/or portal inflammation, varying degrees of fibrosis, hepatocyte death and pathological angiogenesis. At its most severe, NASH can progress to cirrhosis, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and liver failure. It is estimated that 20-33% NAFLD patients will progress to NASH, with about 5% ultimately progressing to cirrhosis. Cirrhosis has a reported 7- to 10-year mortality of 12-25%. As NAFLD and NASH continue to be a growing epidemic, gemcabene's clinical and preclinical data suggest that this novel agent may provide benefit to patients with the diagnosis of NAFLD and/or NASH. As such, further development of gemcabene may help meet an unmet medical need in these patient populations. In Phase 2 studies, gemcabene has shown triglyceride lowering from 20 to \> 50% based on dose and severity of hypertriglyceridemia and lowering in hsCRP of up to 50%. Additionally, in animal and cell based models, gemcabene studies have provided evidence demonstrating: reduction in de-novo lipogenesis, reduction in intrahepatic TG levels, modulation of inflammation and reduction of the NAFLD activity score, particularly related to hepatic ballooning, steatosis, fibrosis, and collagen accumulation. As such gemcabene may have utility in hypertriglyceridemia of FLP and ultimately in the prevention or treatment of NASH in these patients.