Pre-clinical PET data in non-human primates has demonstrated the efficacy of drug candidate TM38837 in treating obesity, type 2 diabetes and related metabolic disorders.

The drug, developed by biotech company 7TM Pharma, is designed to avoid the risk of psychiatric side effects through its restriction to peripherally located CB1 receptors in the body.

The study showed the drug to have a greater propensity to cross the blood-brain barrier than other brain-penetrant CB1 receptor antagonists, without causing depression or anxiety.