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End of the line for GSK’s resveratrol

pharmafile | January 14, 2011 | News story | Research and Development GSK, GlaxoSmithKline, SRT2104, SRT2379, SRT501, Sirtris, multiple myeloma, resveratrol 

GlaxoSmithKline is halting all work on resveratrol, a compound found in red wine and thought to have life extending properties.

SRT501 was a lead candidate of Sirtris, a US company GSK acquired in 2008 for $720 million, but safety concerns and unpromising results means it will now be abandoned.

The compound had reached phase II trials for use in patients with multiple myeloma, but reports of kidney failure in several patients compounded other doubts about its potential.

GSK told the Myeloma Beacon website that the kidney failure cases were “most likely were due to the underlying disease” but added that the formulation of SRT501 was not well tolerated, and side-effects of nausea, vomiting and diarrohea may have indirectly led to dehydration, which exacerbated the development of the acute kidney failure.

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Sirtris’ chief executive George Vlasuk played down the discontinuation, telling the New York Times that SRT501 “was not an important part of the acquisition of Sirtris by GSK”, but its failure is clearly a disappointment.

Resveratrol first attracted attention after studies suggested it improved health and even extended the life span of mice. It was thought to do this by activating the SIRT1 protein, suspected of playing a key role in ageing, and diseases such as diabetes and Alzheimer’s.

GSK issued a statement to the Myeloma Beacon saying: “We are focusing our efforts now on more selective SIRT1 activator compounds that have no chemical relationship to SRT501 and more favourable drug-like properties.”

The company currently has two of these compounds (SRT2104 and SRT2379) in exploratory phase I trials.

Brett Wells

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