Fist time stepping on it, so have no idea is there any meet?
Good Results Reported in Early Trial of Asthma Antisense Drug
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NEW YORK (Reuters Health) Jan 23 - The first in a new class of therapeutics called respirable antisense oligonucleotides, EPI-2010, is giving better-than-expected results, according to its developer, EpiGenesis Pharmaceuticals Inc.
In animal studies, EPI-2010 showed that it could block the production of adenosine receptors on airway cell surfaces, and thus interfere with the action of adenosine, which is known to trigger asthma attacks.
In a phase II study conducted at Hammersmith Medicines Research in London, 14 asthmatic patients who were given EPI-2010 had a statistically significant reduction in their use of bronchodilators. The effect lasted a week, with just a single EPI-2010 dose.
"This is a clear indication that patients in this study felt better, and could breathe better, for a long time after receiving a single dose of EPI-2010," said James Mannion, president and CEO of EpiGenesis, in a company press release.
There are multiple phase II studies under way in the US and the United Kingdom, and phase III trials should start in 2003, said Kathy Cole, EpiGenesis associate director of business development, in an interview with Reuters Health.
"We're very excited with this data, especially at this stage of the game," said Cole. "We believed we were on to something from the very beginning, but to have the data supporting our theory is very satisfying," she said. |
