Lexicon To Unveil Positive Top-Line Phase 2 Results For LX1031

Lexicon Pharmaceuticals (Lexicon) has reported top-line data from its Phase 2 clinical study with LX1031 in patients with non-constipating irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). The results will be presented at GASTRO 2009 in London this week.

LX1031 is an orally available, locally acting inhibitor of tryptophan hydroxylase (TPH), an enzyme necessary for the biosynthesis of serotonin.

The company said that LX1031 acts by selectively decreasing the production of serotonin in the gastrointestinal tract. Discovered and developed by Lexicon, LX1031 is the TPH inhibitor to be evaluated in human clinical trials for the treatment of IBS.

The study results suggested that in phase 1 clinical trials, all dose levels of the drug were well tolerated, and no dose-limiting toxicities were observed. LX1031 was also shown to reduce levels of urinary 5-HIAA, a biomarker of serotonin production.

Reportedly, the results from the study, which showed a positive improvement in IBS symptoms, will be presented by Philip Brown, senior vice president of clinical development at Lexicon on November 25, 2009, at the session entitled, “Therapeutic insights in functional digestive disorders.”