Biotech drugs developer Unigene Laboratories, Inc. will present data this week regarding a novel peptide that has been shown to reduce food consumption in animals.

Titled "Reduction in Food Consumption and Weight in Dogs by Oral Delivery of a Novel Anorexigenic Peptide," will be presented at the Keystone Symposium Conference on "Obesity: Novel Aspects of the Regulation of Body Weight" in Alberta, Canada.

The peptide, currently designated UGL269, is an analog of a natural peptide hormone, and was designed by Unigene scientists.

It was tested against two other peptides in a placebo-controlled crossover study and demonstrated significant reductions in food intake and body weight when orally administered to dogs.

The ability of UGL269 to reduce food intake was superior to that of other peptides reported to decrease food intake, including an analog of peptide PYY.

In the studies, oral administration of UGL269 resulted in a decrease in food intake by up to 50 per cent and a significant decrease in body weight.

Oral administration of an analog of peptide PYY resulted in a smaller reduction in food intake and minimal change in weight. Cessation of treatment with UGL269 resulted in a resumption of food intake to pre-dosing levels. Administration of placebo capsules had no effect on food intake.

"Therapies that modify feeding behavior and result in weight loss represent a significant unmet medical need," commented Dr. Warren Levy, President and CEO of Unigene. "UGL269, which can be manufactured and orally delivered using our patented Secrapep(R) and Enteripep(R) technologies respectively, may offer a new, orally administered approach for weight loss through appetite reduction."

Unigene Laboratories focuses on the oral and nasal delivery of large-market peptide drugs. Due to the size of the worldwide osteoporosis market, Unigene is targeting its initial efforts on developing calcitonin and PTH-based therapies. Fortical, Unigene's nasal calcitonin product for the treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis, received FDA approval and was launched in August 2005.

Unigene has licensed the U.S. rights for Fortical to Upsher-Smith Laboratories, worldwide rights for its oral PTH technology to GlaxoSmithKline and worldwide rights for its calcitonin manufacturing technology to Novartis. Unigene's patented oral delivery technology has successfully delivered, in preclinical and/or clinical trials, various peptides including calcitonin, PTH and insulin. Unigene's patented manufacturing technology is designed to cost-effectively produce peptides in quantities sufficient to support their worldwide commercialization as oral or nasal therapeutics.