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Biotech / Medical : Repligen Corp (RGEN) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: scaram(o)uche who wrote (179)	11/11/1999 8:11:00 AM
From: Curtis E. Bemis	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 395

I found this---off Dow Jones. Repligen Shares Jump After Study Shows Secretin May Help Autism Wednesday, November 10, 1999 04:16 PM NEW YORK -(Dow Jones)- Shares of biotechnology company Repligen Corp. rose 6% Wednesday after a study suggested that secretin, a digestive hormone the company is developing, may help autistic children. The Food and Drug Administration has already approved secretin for diagnosing gastrointestinal disorders. The study, published in November's Journal of Pediatrics, suggests that secretin has a physiological effect on autistic children. Needham, Mass.-based Repligen (RGEN, news, msgs) shares rose 25 cents to $4.25 on volume of 1.48 million shares. Average daily volume is 163,500 shares. Repligen Chief Executive Walter Herlihy called the study "a building block in the understanding of secretin biology." Anecdotal evidence suggested that secretin - a hormone that stimulates the body to make digestive juices - might be able to improve the functioning of autistic children. But, so far, academic researchers had argued, there was no credible proof that it worked. The study, by Karoly Horvath, a researcher at the University of Maryland, measured the response to secretin in 36 autistic children with digestive problems, including diarrhea, and compared it to a nonautistic control group. Twenty-seven, or 75%, of the autistic children began producing more digestive juices after receiving secretin, significantly more than the control group. He also found that the children who responded to the secretin infusions got relief from their diarrhea after they got the drug. It isn't clear yet what the data mean but one possible explanation is that the autistic children are deficient in secretin. That matter "warrants future investigation," the authors said. Repligen said it will fund Horvath's research on secretin. Upcoming trial of secretin in autistic children will be held at the University of Maryland as well as two other sites. The company plans to apply for Food and Drug Administration approval to begin the tests within 30 days, said Herlihy. Earlier this year, Repligen licensed a patent from Victoria Beck on using secretin to treat autism. Victoria Beck had noticed an improvement in her son, Parker, after he was given the drug during a diagnostic test.