Jan 2 (Reuters) – Synergy Pharmaceuticals Inc said
its experimental oral drug to treat chronic constipation due to
an unknown cause met the main and key secondary goals of a Phase
IIb/III study.
More patients on Synergy’s drug plecanatide reported
complete emptying of their bowels, compared with those on a
placebo in a 12-week trial.
The highest tested dose of the drug brought about a 9.7
percent incidence of diarrhea, more than the 1.3 percent
achieved by a placebo.
The company said it plans to release full results of the
study on 951 patients suffering from chronic idiopathic
constipation at a scientific meeting this year.
Chronic idiopathic constipation is the most common digestive
complaint in the world and affects about 15 percent of people in
the United States, according to Synergy.
(Reporting by Zeba Siddiqui in Bangalore; Editing by Roshni
Menon)
