Noven Reports Positive Phase 2 Results For Mesafem™ Non-Hormonal Therapy For Vasomotor Symptoms

Main Category: Endocrinology
Also Included In: Clinical Trials / Drug Trials
Article Date: 16 Jul 2009 - 0:00 PDT


Noven Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:NOVN) announced positive top-line results from its Phase 2 clinical study evaluating Mesafem™ (low-dose paroxetine mesylate) for the treatment of vasomotor symptoms (hot flashes) associated with menopause ("VMS").

This was a multi-center, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled Phase 2 efficacy and safety study of Mesafem in the treatment of VMS. The eight-week study, sponsored by Noven, enrolled 102 patients (with 98 patients completing) at ten clinical locations in the U.S. Patients in the active arm of the study received a dose of Mesafem below 10mg once daily. The primary objective of the study was to assess the safety and efficacy of Mesafem for the treatment of VMS. The primary outcome measures were mean changes in frequency and severity of moderate-to-severe hot flashes from baseline to the fourth and eighth weeks of the study.

"Although designed and powered to detect an efficacy signal, we were very pleased to achieve statistical significance in several primary outcome measures, and to identify clear efficacy signals in the others," said Joel S. Lippman, M.D., Noven's Vice President - Clinical Development & Chief Medical Officer. "Safety and tolerability of Mesafem were similar to placebo, with no drug-related serious adverse events. In short, Mesafem appears to be efficacious and well-tolerated at the tested dose, and information from this study should permit us to develop and initiate a well-designed and cost-effective Phase 3 clinical program by year-end."

Peter Brandt, Noven's President & CEO, said: "Today's Phase 2 results exceeded all our internal expectations from the standpoints of both efficacy and tolerability. With the data from this study, we plan to expedite Mesafem into Phase 3 development, and to advance our commercialization and partnering strategies, with the goal of making this new non-hormonal treatment option broadly available to women who suffer from VMS, but who are not candidates for, or who have concerns about, hormone therapy."

Concurrent with this announcement, Noven issued a press release announcing that it had entered into a definitive merger agreement with Hisamitsu Pharmaceutical Co., Inc. That press release is available at http://www.noven.com.

Source
Noven Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

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