Adipotide is a ligand-directed peptide analog that is capable of mimicking the actions of natural peptides. Adipotide has been shown to reduce body fat through the mechanism of targeted apoptosis of the blood vessels found throughout adipose tissue.
A study conducted by Barnhart et. Al, examined the activity and effectiveness of adipotide in obese rhesus macaques. The monkeys chosen for this study were all adult females ages 9 to 13, and each monkey weighed anywhere from 10.0 kg to 11.7 kg with a BMI ranging from 34 to 45. Additionally, each monkey held the extra weight primarily in the abdominal area.
Adipotide was subcutaneously injected in increasing doses starting at 0.10 mg/kg to 0.75 mg/kg over the course of 9 weeks. With the increasing doses, the study found that adipotide was successful in reducing body weight, the circumference of the abdomen, and BMI. The two initial monkeys that received treatment saw a 1.8 kg and a 2.1 kg drop in body weight, respectively. The BMI of the morbidly obese monkey dropped 17.1% from 45 to 37.3 while the BMI of the other monkey dropped 20.4% from 38.8 to 30.9. The circumference of the abdomen also dropped significantly by 6.5 cm in the first monkey and 9.0 cm in the second monkey.