Sirtris starts trial for diabetes treatment

Sirtris Pharmaceuticals Inc. of Cambridge announced today the start of Phase 2a clinical trial for a product candidate to treat Type 2 diabetes.

The product candidate is called SRT501, and the trial is designed to evaluate SRT501 in patients with Type 2 diabetes whose glucose levels are not adequately controlled by their metformin treatment, a current first-line therapy for such patients, the company said.

Plans call for the trial to enroll 130 patients, and results are expected at the end of 2008, Sirtris said; in the trial, patients will continue on their current metformin therapy together with either SRT501 or a placebo.

Sirtris said it also has two additional trials of SRT501 in progress in patients with Type 2 diabetes.
(By Chris Reidy, Globe staff)