Pozen, AstraZeneca say proposed pain reliever hits ‘primary endpoints’ in trials
Drug developer Pozen (Nasdaq: POZN) and its partner AstraZeneca say their proposed pain reliever built around the popular heartburn drug Nexium met the “primary endpoints” set for Phase III clinical trials.
However, the companies also said they still must meet with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration early next year to discuss questions about the endpoint target.
Pozen shares traded down 23 cents at $6.12 in morning trading.
AstraZeneca has already paid Pozen some $30 million based on advances in the drug called PN 400.
In two trials, the companies said patients “experienced statistically significantly fewer endoscopically confirmed gastric ulcers than those taking naproxen” which is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID).
According to Pozen, some 46 million adults in the U.S. alone suffer from arthritis, and of those 50 percent of those using NSAIDs are at risk of developing ulcers.
PN 400 is being offered as a pain reliever alternative for people who suffer from osteoarthritis but are at risk of developing gastric ulcers.
Full test results will be published “in a timely manner,” the companies said.
Two other trials are continuing.
Featured
Hot Off The Wire
- Hot Off the Wire – Apple charges $107 for iPad batteries; Amazon drops Colorado affiliates like it did in N.C.; Facebook expands in India
- Hot Off the Wire – $5M bonus for Apple exec; Disney to shut studio, cut 450 jobs; Motorola co-CEO’s pay $3.77M; Adobe CEO pay plunges 68%
- Hot Off the Wire – No ‘xxx’ domains yet, Net agency says; Analyst ups Google stock value; Vin Gupta leaves InfoGroup board
Venture & Innovation
- Venture Briefs – Georgia software firm raises $110M; Few VCs on billionaire list; Entrepreneur outlines strategy for sales leads
- CED picks nine more companies to present at venture conference
- Venture Briefs – A top VC uses blog to generate wider dealfow; CA pays $350M for cloud computing firm; Battery closes on $750M fund
E-mail Preferences
