Pharmaceutical Business review

Bionovo releases positive results from Menerba trial

The primary goal of the study was to evaluate the safety and tolerability of two doses of Menerba, higher than those previously tested during the Phase 2 studies, after 4 weeks of treatment.

The primary endpoint of the study was to test the safety of two higher doses of Menerba.

The results of the trial showed that Menerba is a safe therapy for the treatment of menopausal hot flashes.

The company has established a definitive dosing strategy for the Phase 3 clinical trial.

Bionovo president and chief medical officer Isaac Cohen said as predicted by the dose response seen in their Phase 2 trial, higher doses of Menerba tested in our Phase 1 study demonstrated higher efficacy.

"After 4 weeks on therapy, the reduction in moderate to severe hot flashes was approximately 70% with a p value of 0.003 for women who took a dose of Menerba that has twice the potency than the highest dose tested in our Phase 2 study," Cohen said.

"In addition, there was a 68% reduction in the number of nighttime awakenings due to hot flashes with a p value of 0.001."