Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Alkermes' constipation drug target boosted by study results

By Michelle Lang

Alkermes Inc. has returned positive Phase 2 study results for its drug candidate, ALKS 37, developed to treat constipation brought on by opioid use. The company is now eyeing development of the drug candidate in mid-2011.

The Waltham biotech said in a press release that ALKS 37 was well tolerated and showed improved bowel movement frequency and GI motility related to opioid-induced bowel dysfunction (OBD); at the same time, the drug candidate preserved the pain relief effects of the opioid treatment.

The Phase 2 study consisted of 87 patients receiving opioid treatment for chronic pain and diagnosed with OBD.

“Our goal is to develop an oral drug that can normalize bowel function in patients being treated with opioids for chronic pain, without affecting the analgesic effects of prescription opioid medications,” said Elliot Ehrich, Chief Medical Officer of Alkermes, in a statement. “Based on these results, we are looking forward to initiating an aggressive pivotal development program in mid calendar 2011.”

According to IMS Health, about 266 million prescriptions were written for opioids in 2010 in the United States.

Last fall, Alkermes announced positive results from a Phase 1 clinical trial of ALKS 33, the company’s drug candidate in treating cocaine addiction. As a result, the company was awarded a grant of up to $2.4 million from the National Institute on Drug Abuse Grants to speed up development of the potential therapy.