Novelion Therapeutics Inc. announced that clinical data from a metreleptin study assessing weight loss in overweight and obese adults with low leptin levels will be featured in a poster presentation at the American Diabetes Association’s (ADA) 78th Scientific Sessions, being held June 22-26, 2018 in Orlando. The study, titled “Efficacy of Metreleptin for Weight Loss in Overweight and Obese Adults With Low Leptin Levels,” was conducted in adults with low baseline leptin, defined as <16 ng/mL in females and <5 ng/mL in males, and Body Mass Index (BMI) levels between 27.5 and 38.0 kg/m2. The study assessed weight levels in these patients (n=267) following once-daily subcutaneous doses of 10 mg metreleptin, 20 mg metreleptin, or placebo over 24 weeks. Patients with low leptin who received the 10 mg dose (n=74) or 20 mg dose (n=72) of metreleptin showed greater decreases in weight from baseline over the 24-week period compared to patients who received placebo (n=111). In addition, patients treated with the 20 mg dose displayed statistically significant weight loss by weeks 8-10, regardless of whether they had the highest or the lowest baseline levels of leptin. Notably, weight loss was maintained across dose levels for the entire six-month duration of the study, and patients with the lowest leptin levels benefitted most from metreleptin treatment. Metreleptin was generally well-tolerated at both doses. The most common adverse events (AEs) were injection-site reactions, headache, fatigue, gastrointestinal events, and upper respiratory tract infection. Most AEs were mild to moderate in severity. The study was conducted by Alex DePaoli, M.D., Alison Long, M.D., Ph.D., Gregory Fine, M.S., Murray Stewart, M.D., and Sir Stephen O’Rahilly FRS FRCP.