Pfizer and Biocrates complete metabolomics study

Pfizer and Biocrates Life Sciences have completed a preclinical pilot investigation aiming at finding candidate biomarkers that designate early events in vascular injury.

Biocrates announced that the results would be presented in December at the Metabolic Markers for Drug Development and Clinical Studies in Florida.

Klaus Weinberger, chief scientific officer of Biocrates, said: “Our targeted and quantitative approach to metabolomics allows one to immediately deduce biologically relevant information from the analytic data. Important enzymatic reactions and selected metabolic pathways can be monitored on a fully standardised basis.”

He added that the company was in discussions with Pfizer regarding future partnership working for the development of biomarkers in both clinical and preclinical programs.

Biocrates noted that such collaboration with Pfizer would enhance and support the company’s metabolomics approach.

In October, Pfizer reported an update of the results of clinical trials of the combination treatment of torcetrapib and atorvastatin. Phase III clinical trial of patients with heterozygous familial hypercholesterolaemia showed a greater increase in HDL cholesterol and reduction in LDL cholesterol when compared with monotherapy with atorvastatin.

The company reported that these results were incomplete and due for analysis at the end of the trials and, while noting an increase in systolic blood pressure, stated that it did not believe this fact would alter the clinical profile of the treatment.