EPIX accelerates phase 2a study of blood clot imaging agent

By Angela McDaniels

Seattle, Jan. 3 - EPIX Pharmaceuticals Inc. said it has addressed patient accrual issues affecting its phase 2a clinical trial for EP-2104R, an investigational fibrin-binding imaging agent.

Accordingly, enrollment in the study has increased to 35 subjects as of Tuesday from 15 subjects on Nov. 1. The company now expects to complete full enrollment of 48 patients in the first quarter of 2006.

EPIX said preliminary data from the study indicates that EP-2104R may be able to identify patients at risk of stroke.

"The use of EP-2104R to image clots, particularly in the carotid arteries, has potentially important ramifications for physicians evaluating patients at risk of stroke," study investigator David Bluemke of Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions said in a company news release.

"Any tools we can use to help us more quickly and accurately diagnose a patient, identify the cause of the stroke and assess the severity of the condition will lead to better patient outcomes."

Given the progress in the study and the encouraging data, the company said it has asked marketing partner Schering AG to exercise its option on the program in order to move as quickly as possible to the next stage of development of EP-2104R.

EPIX is a pharmaceuticals company based in Cambridge, Mass., that discovers and develops imaging agents for the diagnosis, treatment and monitoring of disease.

© 2015 Prospect News.
All content on this website is protected by copyright law in the U.S. and elsewhere. For the use of the person downloading only.
Redistribution and copying are prohibited by law without written permission in advance from Prospect News.
Redistribution or copying includes e-mailing, printing multiple copies or any other form of reproduction.