AdipoPharma Enters Clinic with First-in-Class Therapy Targeting Type 2 diabetes with the potential to maintain muscle mass

This novel whole-body insulin-sensitizing approach is designed to address insulin resistance independent of weight loss

PITTSBURGH, March 23, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- As GLP-1 therapies reshape obesity care, one biotech company is betting that the root cause of Type 2 diabetes isn’t only excessive weight but a specific fat-cell dysfunction.

AdipoPharma LLC today announced that it has completed dosing the second cohort of participants in a Phase 1 clinical trial in the US of PATAS, a first-in-class insulin sensitizer designed to restore normal glucose handling in adipose tissue, with the goal of addressing Type 2 diabetes at its biological source rather than indirectly through weight loss.

Global Type 2 diabetes continues to rise and is projected to affect 1.3 billion people by 2050. Meanwhile, the global insulin market continues to expand, underscoring the persistence of underlying insulin resistance.

AdipoPharma’s approach centers on adipocytes, or fat cells, which play a critical role in regulating whole-body insulin sensitivity. When these cells become dysfunctional, systemic insulin resistance follows with its detrimental effects throughout the body.

A Different Strategy in a Crowded Field

Most current therapies improve glycemic control indirectly, usually by treating the symptoms instead of the root cause – insulin resistance. PATAS is engineered to act directly on fat cells to improve whole-body insulin sensitivity, independent of body weight.

“Fundamentally, it’s the combination of insulin resistance and pancreatic failure that drives Type 2 diabetes,” said Vincent Marion, Ph.D., Scientific Founder and President of AdipoPharma. “While we were working to address insulin resistance in preclinical studies, we realized that PATAS-mediated rebooting of the fat cells not only increased insulin sensitivity but also resulted in powerful protection of the muscle.”

Preclinical data demonstrates that PATAS may improve glucose intolerance, decrease insulin resistance, reduce fatty liver disease, preserve lean muscle mass, and maintain pancreatic function; beneficial outcomes that will need to be confirmed in clinical trials.

The company believes this mechanism could complement existing anti-obesity drugs, particularly as the industry explores ways to address muscle loss and persistent metabolic dysfunction.

Phase 1 Program

The ongoing first-in-human study is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial evaluating safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetics (how the drug behaves in the body) of PATAS.

Phase 1A includes single ascending doses in healthy volunteers. Phase 1B is planned to evaluate multiple ascending doses in patients with Type 2 diabetes. Initial safety data is expected later this year.

“The future of diabetes treatment isn’t just about lowering glucose,” Vincent Marion, Ph.D., added. “It’s about restoring metabolic as well as physical health and that, we believe, will open the door to an innovative way of treating Type 2 diabetes.”

Launching Series B Financing

AdipoPharma has completed its Series A round that funded the initiation of its Phase 1 program. The company is currently raising its Series B financing to support completion of Phase 1B and advance PATAS into Phase 2 clinical trials in patients with Type 2 diabetes with or without anti-obesity medication.

“The missing piece in diabetes care has always been targeting insulin resistance directly,” said Alan Cherrington, Ph.D., AdipoPharma Board Member, Professor of Molecular Biology at Vanderbilt University, and former President of the American Diabetes Association. “PATAS is designed to address the underlying cause of the disease, not just its downstream effects, and we look forward to the results of the clinical study.”

With initial Phase 1 safety data expected later this year, AdipoPharma aims to generate early clinical signals that could position PATAS as a new approach in the treatment of insulin resistance and Type 2 diabetes.

About AdipoPharma
AdipoPharma is a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing therapies that target adipocyte dysfunction to treat insulin resistance and Type 2 diabetes. Its lead candidate, PATAS, is currently in Phase 1 clinical development. For more information, visit www.adipopharma.com.

CONTACT: John Reynolds, john.reynolds@buchananpr.com

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