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news.Shares in healthcare products developer Myriad Genetics have risen by around 13% after it began enrollment in a phase III human clinical trial of its lead therapeutic candidate, Flurizan, in patients with Alzheimer's disease.
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The phase III trial is designed to determine the ability of Flurizan (MPC-7869) to alter the course of cognitive decline and behavioral change in patients with Alzheimer’s disease. The trial will be conducted in approximately 750 patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease, at approximately 100 centers in the US.
The primary efficacy endpoints for the trial will be the change in cognitive function, as measured by the ADAS-cog test, and the change in activities of daily living.
“Flurizan is an exciting drug candidate due to its potential to change the rate of decline in Alzheimer’s disease patients,” said Dr Adrian Hobden, president of Myriad Pharmaceuticals. “We are pleased to take the opportunity to accelerate Flurizan’s development timeline by initiating this phase III trial.”
Flurizan is currently being studied in a phase II clinical study in approximately 210 patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease. All patients have now been on drug for more than nine months and the trial is expected to conclude its clinical study period in March 2005.