About Us
About Us
Akesis Pharmaceuticals is an emerging metabolic disease company with a unique, patent-protected product that utilizes the insulin enhancing activity of vanadium, a naturally occurring micro-nutrient. In the last two decades clinical studies have shown that vanadium-containing products lower blood glucose levels in type 2 diabetes patients more substantially than many prescription drugs. Akesis’ management team is highly experienced in drug development and is leading the company in validating these findings, with the goal of offering unique FDA approved products to treat diabetes and other metabolic diseases that significantly impact public health. Akesis plans to develop AKP-020, its lead product, as a monotherapy within the $6 billion oral diabetes drug market.
Akesis Pharmaceuticals is an emerging metabolic disease company with a unique, patent-protected product that utilizes the insulin enhancing activity of vanadium, a naturally occurring micro-nutrient. In the last two decades clinical studies have shown that vanadium-containing products lower blood glucose levels in type 2 diabetes patients more substantially than many prescription drugs. Akesis’ management team is highly experienced in drug development and is leading the company in validating these findings, with the goal of offering unique FDA approved products to treat diabetes and other metabolic diseases that significantly impact public health. Akesis plans to develop AKP-020, its lead product, as a monotherapy within the $6 billion oral diabetes drug market.
Akesis Pharmaceuticals has an exceptional oral product candidate for the treatment of diabetes and related metabolic disorders. This product candidate is supported by issued and filed patents for both prescription and over-the-counter treatments. Data from multiple peer-reviewed publications have demonstrated that vanadium-containing compounds lower and help control blood glucose levels in patients with Type 2 diabetes. Blood sugar control via oral drugs represents a market opportunity in the billions of dollars, as reports indicate that approximately 20 million people suffer from diabetes in the United States alone. While diabetes is a national and international epidemic that is growing at an exponential rate and affects all racial and ethnic groups, the disease disproportionately affects particular minority populations. Akesis intends to include individuals of African American, Hispanic, Native American and Pacific Islander descent in the evaluation of its product candidates
Our Mission
Akesis is dedicated to improving the lives of people with metabolic diseases, with particular emphasis in diabetes, through the development of innovative combination treatments that lower and control blood glucose levels.
Company History
The company was founded in the 1990’s with an initial focus on micronutrients, the individual components of which have been used widely for many years in the treatment of a variety of human health disorders. In 2007 Akesis licensed the rights to AKP-020 (BEOV) from the University of British Columbia. This agreement substantially accelerated the Akesis' clinical programs for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. In a recently completed single-blinded Phase 2a study in which diabetic subjects were treated daily with AKP-020 for 28 consecutive days, improvements were reported in fasting blood glucose, the oral glucose tolerance test, and in hemoglobin A1c when compared to placebo subjects. This larger study builds on the previous clinical database which showed that AKP-020 has advantages over unpatented vanadyl sulfate with respect to dosing, pharmacokinetics and bioavailability, while maintaining a good safety profile. The data set also includes extensive preclinical safety and efficacy studies of AKP-020.
The Company's product focus has shifted from AKP-111, metformin plus chromium picolinate and vanadyl sulfate, and towards AKP-020 (BEOV) monotherapy, and AKP-120, BEOV-metformin combination therapy. The clinical development progress of the AKP-020 program will determine how quickly the company advances AKP-120. The company may also build its product pipeline through in-licensure of additional assets.
