Anti-obesity product safe in mid-stage study

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Amylin Pharmaceuticals Inc said on Thursday a mid-stage study of its combination obesity product involving versions of hormones linked to appetite and metabolism yielded positive results.

The Phase 2, 28-week study randomized 608 overweight or obese patients to either placebo or various doses of the product, which contains the compounds pramlintide and metreleptin.

Patients with a body mass index of less than 35 treated with the highest dose experienced significantly more weight loss -- 11 percent on average compared with 1.8 percent for those on placebo.

The combination therapy had no suggestion of side effects involving the heart or brain -- issues that have doomed other potential obesity treatments.

Amylin said the results confirm previous mid-stage results with the combination product and "provide a solid foundation for the company's ongoing obesity development program."