Imeglimin

Imeglimin is a first in a new class of anti-diabetic drugs, the Glimins, targeting the 3 key defects of Type 2 diabetes; insufficient insulin production, excessive hepatic glucose production and impaired glucose uptake by skeletal muscles.

Imeglimin is developed as an orally active adjunct to diet and exercises to improve glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes, as monotherapy, or as add-on therapy with commonly prescribed antidiabetics, if the single agent does not provide adequate glycemic control.

Imeglimin is the only antidiabetic product to directly target the following three main organs involved in glucose regulation through an innovative mechanism of action, the oxidative phosphorylation inhbition. Thus, it:

  • inhibits hepatic gluconeogenesis

  • increases muscle glucose uptake through restoring red and mixed muscle glucose consumption with an insulin-independent mechanism

  • restores normal insulin secretion through a glucose-dependent mechanism

The product is mainly an indirect activator of AMPKinase, acting at the mitochondrial level to decrease the phosphate ratio (ATP/ADP)

 

Product-Pipeline-Mitochondrie

 

As assessed in toxicology studies and during the early clinical development, Imeglimin exhibits a very good safety profile, with no particular safety signals. As shown during a dedicated phase 1 study, Imeglimin can be also a real alternative for ageing population and people with chronic renal failure. In a phase 2a study, Imeglimin efficacy was shown equivalent to the reference metformin.

Thanks to its improved safety profile and broad mode of action, Imeglimin can be combined with other cardiometabolic therapies in order to treat Type 2 diabetes as a disorder of the larger cardiometabolic syndrome, thus unfolding its market perspective.