Study shows DiaMedica’s DM-204 lowers stroke risk

Diamedica (TSX:DMA) will present new, compelling Type 2 diabetes data from studies of DM-204 at the Windhover Therapeutic Area Partnership Conference in Boston, Mass. later today.

In an independently conducted study, chronic administration of DM-204 prevented disease progression within an in vivo Type 2 diabetes model, resulting in statistically significant lower mean differences in levels of HbA1c, fasting blood glucose, systolic blood pressure and total cholesterol, compared with untreated animals after 21 days.

DiaMedica said the antihypertensive and cholesterol lowering ability of DM-204 may “significantly reduce the need for such medications and furthermore protect Type 2 diabetics from heart disease and stroke complications.”

In a statement, Dr. John Amatruda, a DiaMedica SAB member and former senior VP and franchise head for diabetes and obesity at Merck Research Laboratories, said these results are “very encouraging and provide a strong foundation with which to move DM-204 forward.”

Dr. Mark Williams, DiaMedica’s VP of research, added that DM-204 has an opportunity to “fundamentally change the treatment regimen for Type 2 diabetes patients with hypertension and high cholesterol. DM-204 could potentially become the single long-acting treatment by virtue of being a monoclonal antibody therapy. The chronic in vivo model data shows DM-204′s ability to prevent disease progression of Type 2 diabetes and increased blood pressure.”