Hongrong Xu, Lei Sheng, Weili Chen, Fei Yuan, Mengjie Yang, Hui Li, Xuening Li, John Choi, Guiyu Zhao, Tianxin Hu, Yongguo Li, Yi Zhang, Li Chen

HMS5552, a novel fourth-generation glucokinase (GK) activator, has demonstrated promising effects on glycemic control in preclinical models of type 2 diabetes. This single ascending dose study was conducted to investigate the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics (PK), and pharmacodynamics (PD) of HMS5552 during its first-in-human exposure. Sixty healthy subjects were enrolled. In each of six dose-cohorts (5, 10, 15, 25, 35, and 50 mg), ten subjects were randomized with eight subjects receiving the same cohort-dose of HMS5552 and two receiving placebo. Plasma HMS5552 exposure, glucose, and insulin were measured repeatedly during fasting and after a standardized meal. Assessment included safety, PK, and PD endpoints. HMS5552 showed dose-proportional increases in area under the curve 0 to the last quantifiable concentration (AUC0-t) and maximum plasma concentration (Cmax). Slopes estimated by linear regression for AUC0-t and Cmax were ~1.0 (0.932 and 0.933, respectively). Geometric mean elimination half-life ranged from 4.48 to 7.51 hours and apparent clearance ranged from 11.5 to 13.1 L/h across all doses. No significant sex effect was observed in PK parameters. HMS5552 also demonstrated dose-related PD responses in terms of maximum glucose change from baseline (%) and mean glucose area under effect curve 0-4 hours change from baseline (%) (P<0.001). Fifteen adverse events were reported by nine subjects (ten with HMS5552 and five with the placebo). All adverse events were mild in intensity and resolved without any treatment. This first-in-human single ascending dose study provided predicted PK of HMS5552 with dose-proportional increases in AUC0-t and Cmax, as well as dose-related glucose-lowering effects over the range of 5-50 mg in healthy subjects. HMS5552 at doses up to 50 mg in healthy subjects was safe and well-tolerated.