GAITHERSBURG, Md., Sept. 10, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In a release issued under the same headline earlier today by Altimmune, Inc. (Nasdaq:ALT), please note that the reduction of visceral adipose tissue (VAT) at Week 48 has been corrected from 25.6% to 28.3% and the reduction of subcutaneous adipose tissue has been corrected from 20.1% to 19.5%. The revised release follows:

Lean Loss Ratio of only 21.9%, representing class-leading preservation of lean mass

Maintenance of lean mass preservation in individuals over the age of 60, a population at risk for frailty-related falls and fractures

Visceral adipose tissue (VAT), a risk factor for cardiovascular disease, reduced by 28.3% at Week 48

Altimmune, Inc. (Nasdaq: ALT), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, today presented data from its Phase 2, MRI-based body composition sub-study of pemvidutide in subjects with overweight and obesity at the 60^th Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) in Madrid, Spain. Pemvidutide is a novel, investigational, peptide-based GLP-1/glucagon dual receptor agonist in development for the treatment of obesity and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH).

In an MRI sub-study of 67 subjects from the Phase 2 MOMENTUM obesity trial, 50 of whom were treated with pemvidutide for 48 weeks, the lean loss ratio, defined as the change in lean mass compared to the change in total mass, was 21.9%. Lean mass preservation was greater in subjects aged 60 years and older, in whom the lean loss ratio was only 19.9%. In addition to lean mass preservation, there was a preferential reduction of VAT, the adipose tissue associated with cardiovascular risk. At the 2.4mg dose of pemvidutide, VAT was reduced by 28.3% at Week 48 compared to a 19.5% loss in subcutaneous adipose tissue.

“Preservation of lean mass may reduce risk of falls and fractures, development of co-morbidities, and rates of all-cause mortality, particularly in individuals over the age of 60,” said Scott Harris, M.D., Chief Medical Officer of Altimmune. “Given the breadth and diversity of the obesity patient population, there has been growing attention given to the quality of weight loss. Our data demonstrates pemvidutide’s class-leading lean mass preservation, superior to that reported historically with diet and exercise. The robust reductions in VAT would also be expected to be associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease.”

About Pemvidutide
Pemvidutide is a novel, investigational, peptide-based GLP-1/glucagon dual receptor agonist in development for the treatment of obesity and MASH. Activation of the GLP-1 and glucagon receptors is believed to mimic the complementary effects of diet and exercise on weight loss, with GLP-1 suppressing appetite and glucagon increasing energy expenditure. Glucagon is also recognized as having direct effects on hepatic fat metabolism, which is believed to lead to rapid reductions in levels of liver fat and serum lipids. In clinical trials to date, once-weekly pemvidutide has demonstrated compelling weight loss, robust reductions in triglycerides, LDL cholesterol, liver fat content and blood pressure. The U.S. FDA has granted Fast Track designation to pemvidutide for the treatment of MASH. Pemvidutide recently completed the MOMENTUM Phase 2 obesity trial and is being studied in the ongoing IMPACT Phase 2b MASH trial.