Repurposing Asthma Drug for Diabetes Treatment

Used briefly in the 1980s to treat asthma, the anti-inflammatory drug amlexanox may have utility in the treatment of type 2 diabetes, according to a recent article in FierceBiotech (July 5, 2017).

Researchers discovered the drug’s potential alternate use after screening 150,000 chemicals for something that would inhibit 2 enzymes believed to make it difficult for obese mice to burn calories and use energy.

In a recent placebo-controlled study with 21 people with type 2 diabetes and obesity, a third who took amlexanox responded to it (Cell Metabolism. doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cmet.2017.06.006). Upon looking at fat cells biopsied from participants before and after the study, researchers discovered more than 1100 genetic changes present in responders but absent in nonresponders.

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Inflammation, they determined, played a role in patient response, FierceBiotech explained.

“In the responder group, the level of inflammation in fat was higher than in the nonresponder group at the beginning of the study, indicating that there is something about inflammation that predisposes a person to respond,” said Alan Saltiel, PhD, director of the UC San Diego Institute for Diabetes and Metabolic Health.

This new approach of inhibiting inflammatory enzymes raises challenges, Dr Saltiel acknowledged. His research team must figure out which genes to address, the proper dosage of amlexanox, and whether other drugs used in combination with it could increase its effectiveness.

 “It's promising,” he said, “but there are a lot of questions that need to be answered still.”

—Jolynn Tumolo