Preclinical Drug Candidates

THR Beta Agonist

In December 2008, the Company exclusively licensed from Roche a Thyroid Hormone Receptor (THR) beta agonist that is a clinically ready candidate for control of cholesterol, triglyceride levels and potential in insulin sensitization / diabetes. The THR beta agonist is an orally administered, small-molecule beta-selective Thyroid Hormone Receptor agonist designed to specifically target receptors in the liver involved in metabolism and cholesterol regulation, and avoid side effects associated with Thyroid Hormone eceptor activation outside the liver. Roche has completed preclinical studies of the THR beta agonist. These studies demonstrated a rapid reduction of non-HDL cholesterol and the drug was shown to be synergistic with statins in animal studies. The Company will investigate the possibility of using the THR beta agonist in combination with statins for the treatment of hypercholesterolemia. In addition, in animal studies, insulin sensitization and glucose lowering were observed making this compound a possible treatment of patients with type 2 diabetes in combination with other diabetes medications.

DGAT1

In December 2008, the Company exclusively licensed from Roche multiple compounds from Roche’s preclinical DGAT1 metabolic disorders program. DGAT1 is an enzyme that catalyzes triglyceride synthesis and fat storage. Triglycerides are the principal component of fat, which is the major repository for storage of metabolic energy in the body. Overweight and obese individuals have significantly greater triglyceride levels, making them more prone to diabetes and its associated metabolic complications. DGAT1 inhibitors are believed to be an innovative class of compounds that modify lipid metabolism. In studies of obese animals, DGAT1 inhibitors have been shown to induce weight loss and improve insulin sensitization, glucose tolerance and lipid levels. These observations suggest DGAT1 inhibitors may have the potential to treat obesity, diabetes and dyslipidemia. The Company intends to identify potential clinical candidates from the compounds in this program and determine which compounds may be moved into further preclinical development.

Additional Compounds

VIA’s business development team remains focused on identifying additional clinical and pre-clinical compounds to add to the VIA development pipeline.