Living Cell's diabetes drug to trial

Biotechnology company Living Cell Technologies has been granted New Zealand regulatory approval to proceed to Phase I and IIa trials of its diabetes drug, DiabeCell.

DiabeCell is a product consisting of pig cells which are injected into the body to produce insulin and help regulate blood glucose levels.

Living Cell announced that New Zealand regulator MedSafe had approved the company proceeding to clinical trials.

The New Zealand based trials of DiabeCell will begin by the end of 2007, and are expected to take 12 months.

CEO of Living Cell Technologies, Dr Paul Tan, said the MedSafe approval confirmed that "the standards developed by LCT (Living Cell) to meet regulatory requirements withstand international scrutiny".