Drug – bio-affecting and body treating compositions – Solid synthetic organic polymer as designated organic active... – Polymer from ethylenic monomers only
Reexamination Certificate
1999-07-14
2001-10-09
Travers, Russell (Department: 1617)
Drug, bio-affecting and body treating compositions
Solid synthetic organic polymer as designated organic active...
Polymer from ethylenic monomers only
C424S078310, C424S078380
Reexamination Certificate
active
06299868
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Human obesity is a recognized health problem with approximately 97 million people considered clinically overweight in the United States. The accumulation or maintenance of body fat bears a direct relationship to caloric intake. Therefore, one of the most common methods for weight control to combat obesity is the use of relatively low-fat, low calorie diets, that is, diets containing less fat and calories than a “normal diet” or that amount generally consumed by the patient.
The presence of fats in a great many food sources greatly limits the food sources which can be used in a low-fat diet. Additionally, fats contribute to the flavor, appearance and physical characteristics of many foodstuffs. As such, the acceptability of low-fat diets and the maintenance of such diets are difficult.
Various chemical approaches have been proposed for controlling obesity. Anorectic agents, such as dextroamphetamine, the combination of the non-amphetamine drugs phentermine and fenfluramine (“Phen-Fen”) and dexfenfluramine (Redux) alone, are associated with serious side effects. Indigestible materials such as OLESTRA™, mineral oil or neopentyl esters (see U.S. Pat. No. 2,962,419) have been proposed as substitutes for dietary fat. Garcinia acid and derivatives thereof have been described as treating obesity by interfering with fatty acid synthesis. Swellable crosslinked vinyl pyridine resins have been described as appetite suppressants via the mechanism of providing non-nutritive bulk, as in U.S. Pat. No. 2,923,662. Surgical techniques, such as temporary ileal bypass surgery, are employed in extreme cases.
However, methods for treating obesity, such as those described above, have serious shortcomings with controlled diet remaining the most prevalent technique for controlling obesity. As such, new methods for treating obesity are needed.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a method for treating obesity, a method for reducing the absorption of dietary fat, and a method for treating hypertriglyceridemia in a patient and to particular polymers for use in the methods or in a manufacture of a medicament. The methods comprise the step of orally administering to a mammal, such as a human, a therapeutically effective amount of a fat-binding polymer. The administration of a fat-binding polymer of the invention facilitates the excretion of fat from the body without digestion, with minimal side effects and low toxicity. In a preferred embodiment, the fat-binding polymers are administered in combination with a therapeutically effective amount of a lipase inhibitor, such as the pancreatic lipase inhibitors described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,598,089 to Hadvary et al. The combination administration can reduce undesirable side effects often encountered when lipase inhibitors, in particular, the pancreatic lipase inhibitors lipstatin and tetrahydrolipstatin are administered alone. For example, a serious side effect resulting from the administration of a lipase inhibitor is steatorrhea, or fatty stools.
The fat-binding polymers of the invention comprise at least one fat-binding region. A fat-binding region can include a region having a positive charge, a region which is hydrophobic or a region having a positive charge and which is hydrophobic.
In one embodiment, the fat-binding polymer is an aliphatic polymer selected from the group consisting of polyalkylacrylates, polyacrylamides, polyalkylmethacrylates, polymethacrylamides, poly-N-alkylacrylamides, poly-N-alkylmethacrylamides, substituted derivatives thereof and copolymers thereof. For example, the substituted derivatives of the polymers can be characterized by one or more substituents, such as substituted or unsubstituted, saturated or unsaturated alkyl, and substituted or unsubstituted aryl groups. Suitable substituents to employ on the alkyl or aryl groups include, but are not limited to, cationic or neutral groups, such as alkoxy, aryl, aryloxy, aralkyl, halogen, amine, and ammonium groups. For example, the polymer can be poly(dimethylamino propylacrylamide), poly(trimethylammonium ethylacrylate), poly(trimethylammonium ethyl methacrylate), poly(trimethylammonium propyl acrylamide), poly(dodecyl acrylate), poly(octadecyl acrylate), poly(octadecyl methacrylate) and copolymers thereof.
In another embodiment, the fat binding polymer is a synthetic amine polymer and pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof. Amine polymers (or salts thereof) suitable for use in the invention include, but are not limited to, substitued or unsubstituted polymers or copolymers of the following monomers: allylamine, diallyldimethyl ammonium, ethyleneimine, vinylamine, diallylamine, vinylimidazole and diallylmethylamine.
In another embodiment, the fat binding polymer is an amine derivative of an anhydride containing polymer.
In yet another embodiment, the fat-binding polymer is a hydroxyl-containing polymer, for example, poly(vinylalcohol).
In a specific embodiment, the fat-binding polymer is an amine-containing polymer wherein one or more hydrophobic regions are bound to a portion of the amine nitrogens of the amine polymer. In a particular embodiment, between about 1 and about 60 percent of the amine nitrogens are substituted, preferably between about 1 and about 30 percent.
In another embodiment, the hydrophobic region of the fat-binding polymer can include a hydrophobic moiety, for example, a substituted or unsubstituted, normal, branched or cyclic alkyl group having at least four carbons. In a particular embodiment, the hydrophobic moiety is an alkyl group of between about four and thirty carbons.
In another embodiment, the hydrophobic region is a quaternary amine-containing moiety having a terminal hydrophobic substituent. Suitable hydrophobic regions which can include a hydrophobic moiety and/or a quaternary amine-containing moiety are described herein and in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,607,669, 5,679,717 and 5,618,530, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
The polymers of the present invention offer desirable pharmacological properties such as excellent fat binding properties and low toxicity. In addition, when the fat-binding polymers are administered in combination with lipase inhibitors, as described herein, undesirable side effects experienced, such as steatorrhea, when the lipase inhibitors are administered alone can be lessened.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The features and other details of the invention will now be more particularly described and pointed out below as well as in the claims. It will be understood that the particular embodiments of the invention are shown by way of illustration and not as limitations of the invention. The principle features of this invention can be employed in various embodiments without departing from the scope of the invention.
In one aspect, the invention relates to a method for treating obesity comprising the step of orally administering to a mammal a therapeutically effective amount of one or more fat-binding polymers. In a preferred embodiment, the fat-binding polymer is administered in combination with a therapeutically effective amount of a lipase inhibitor.
In another aspect, the invention relates to a method for reducing the absorption of dietary fat comprising the step of orally administering to a mammal a therapeutically effective amount of one or more fat-binding polymers. In a preferred embodiment, the fat-binding polymer is administered in combination with a therapeutically effective amount of a lipase inhibitor.
In yet another aspect, the invention relates to a method for treating hypertriglyceridemia in a mammal comprising the step of orally administering to a mammal a therapeutically effective amount of one or more fat-binding polymers. In a preferred embodiment, the fat-binding polymer is administered in combination with a therapeutically effective amount of a lipase inhibitor.
A particular aspect of the invention relates to a method for treating steatorrhea comprising the step of orally administering to a mammal a therapeutically
Concagh Danny
Garigapati Venkata R.
Holmes-Farley Stephen Randall
Huval Chad Cori
Jozefiak Thomas
GelTex Pharmaceuticals Inc.
Hamilton Brook Smith & Reynolds P.C.
Travers Russell
Wang S.
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