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In biology, the hormone called PYY 3-36 plays a critical role in decreasing appetites, making us aware of fullness of our stomach. In an experiment, rats were injected with PYY and ate 30% less than usual, resulting in weight loss. As a result of this finding, researchers decided that further research could lead to the development of an effective treatment for obesity in humans. PYY 3-36 has been lauded as likely to be safer than other drugs used to treat obesity.
The hormone that has the opposite role is known as ghrelin - instead of inhibiting the desire for food, it increases appetite.
Nastech Pharmaceuticals initially developed PYY 3-36 for human use and outlicenced development of the product to Merck & Cowith the expectation of a 2007 NDA submission to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). However, in March 2006 Merck returned the rights of the drug to Nastech after initial trials showed the drug to be ineffective and it no longer has the intention of developing the drug further. Nastech intends to continue the development of the drug by experimenting with dosing to find an effective regime and wishes to find another Pharmaceutical company partner to fund development.
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