Following the announcement of drug trial results on Wednesday, Catalyst Pharmaceuticals Inc (NASDAQ:CPRX) experienced a 12.7% rise in its share value.
The pharmaceutical company announced that one out of the four patients in the drug trials responded to the treatment with clinically significant and clear results. The test subjects were treated for the Tourette’s Disorder. Two other patients demonstrated a 25% decrease in the number of tics though the clinical improvements were not subjective.
The trial drug used to treat the condition is known as CPP-109 (vigabatrin). The trials were carried out at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York. However, it will require a wider patient study to apply for approval by the FDA. The company’s Chief Executive, Patrick J. McEnany claimed that the trial data is favorable even though it was carried out over a limited number of subjects.
The drug trials were administered over a period of 8 weeks in an open label method. It was mainly designed to assess the effects GABA-aminotransferase inhibition as a technique aimed at reducing the tics in patients suffering from the condition. Vigabatrin was used as a substitute to demonstrate the effect of using the GABA-aminotransferase (GABA-AT) inhabitants. The company had planned to start testing the much safer and efficient CPP-115 once the initial trials proved to be successful.
Mr. McEnany also said that the results are enough evidence that the drug showcases significant hope for the CPP-109 drug in the treatment Tourette’s Disorder. Catalyst Pharmaceuticals Inc (NASDAQ:CPRX) believes that the test results place the CPP-115 drug in the spotlight as a worthy candidate for trials. CPP-115 will is also designed to counter the same disorder.
The company is currently reviewing its options in preparations for a seminar with the Co-Principal Investigators overseeing the trials. They will also meet a few other significant parties affiliated with the project before making the final decision about the next developmental phase.
Tourette’s Disorder is one of the toughest conditions to treat. The current drugs used to counter the condition have noteworthy side effects.
