Lipigon Pharmaceuticals AB announced that the company has received approval from the Swedish Medical Products Agency to start a clinical phase I study with the lipid-lowering drug candidate Lipisense. The trial aims to document the safety profile of Lipisense and pharmacokinetic properties as well as pharmacodynamic effects via biomarkers. The clinical development plan focuses on the protein ANGPTL4 and its unique properties that can give patients with lipid disorders a chance to a new effective treatment.

By "turning off" the ANGPTL4 specifically in the liver using the RNA-based drug candidate Lipisense, one can also get other valuable effects, such as improved control of blood glucose levels. The drug candidate is an RNA therapeutic that prevents the cells from producing the disease- promoting target protein ANGPTL4 by destroying the protein-coding RNA before the target protein has been formed. The target gene has a strong genetic association with plasma lipid levels and related diseases, such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.