A new treatment platform that addresses diabetes and/or obesity issues, Nano-G is being promoted as a “multi billion dollar opportunity.” From the April 3, 2012 news release on Business Wire,

“Nano-G fulfills the long overdue need for a rapidly self-administered, auto-injector delivered glucagon for hypoglycemia rescue and is the missing piece needed for the bi-hormonal pump and novel combination therapies for obesity,” noted Dr. Andrew Chen, LPI’s [Latitude Pharmaceuticals, Inc.] president. “With its excellent stability and regulatory familiarity, Nano-G can be rapidly commercialized under a low risk, low-cost 505(b)(2) NDA to provide important new therapeutic options for diabetes and obesity that were never before possible. We are now seeking partners to commercialize this exceptional multi billion dollar opportunity.”

I first read about Nano-G in an April 5, 2012 news item by Cameron Chai on Azonnano and being made curious checked out Latitude Pharmaceutical’s website to find this (excerpted from the home page),

LATITUDE Pharmaceuticals is a leading-edge contract research boutique that provides innovative drug formulation services to the biotech and pharmaceutical industries. Since our founding in 2003, we have serviced over 130 client companies and developed a reputation for creative approaches, reliability, rapid turnaround, client success and satisfaction.  We are formulation specialists that can tackle the tough formulation challenges of insoluble (un-dissolvable) compounds and we have the track record and experience to do this.

…

LATITUDE has an armamentarium of unique techniques and technologies to address problematic formulation issues such as insolubility, poor absorption, and vein irritation that are often encountered in new drug development.

Thank you, Latitude, for a new word, armamentarium. More sadly I was not able to find additional information about Nano-G. So I went back to the news release to find this,

LATITUDE Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (LPI) announced today that its scientists have developed the first ever, ready-to-inject, stable liquid glucagon formulation (Nano-G). A glucagon formulation with these properties had been a highly sought after Holy Grail of drug developers for decades.

…

Currently, glucagon is indicated for emergency treatment of insulin-induced hypoglycemia and as a diagnostic aid for radiological examinations. Researchers have long been interested in evaluating glucagon for hypoglycemia prevention, the bi-hormonal insulin/glucagon pump and the treatment of obesity but have been thwarted by the absence of a stable injectable glucagon formulation.

Glucagon is a notoriously insoluble and unstable molecule and is therefore provided as a dried powder. Before use, the glucagon is dissolved in an acid solution by following a cumbersome, eight-step procedure that becomes an outsized task during life-threatening hypoglycemia.

Nano-G is a pH-neutral, isotonic, detergent-free, aqueous formulation that contains only FDA-approved injectable ingredients. Results from rigorous 6-month real-time and accelerated ICH stability testing predict a 2-yr shelf-life. Nano-G is also stable at body temperature, making it highly suitable for subcutaneous infusion pump delivery.

Elsewhere in the news release, it’s noted that Nano-G is based on the company’s ‘Nano-E injectable nanoemulsion drug delivery program.’ The company doesn’t offer much in the way of technical detail, from the Proprietary Formulation Platform Technologies page,

These innovative dosage forms, which have patents pending, may solve your formulation challenges as well as provide new IP for your API and include:

• Sustained release oral dosage forms (ALLDay, Minspheres, and others)
• Bioavailability enhancing oral dosage forms for insoluble drugs
• Injectable emulsions for low solubility, high drug load compounds (Nano-E)
• Injectable emulsions that reduce vein irritation (Nano-E)
• Stability enhancing and lyophilizable formulations
• Sustained release subcutaneous and subdermal depots (PG Depot)
• Fast drying, non-irritating adhesive gels for transdermal delivery (GelPatch)

It occurred to me while reading the news release that not only is obesity very big business as governments in Canada, the US, and elsewhere pour money into obesity research but it’s one more target in this war we’ve declared on human imperfection. Increasingly it seems that we (governments, corporations, and other formal and informal institutions) are pressed to remain youthful forever, demonstrate socially approved personality traits (shyness, begone!), maintain the ‘right’ weight, etc. as we relentlessly pursue a vision of perfection that remains always just beyond grasp.

In the meantime, I expect for those who suffer from diabetes, the news about Nano-G is promising.