Pozen's PN 100 reduces gastric damage caused by anti-inflammatory drugs, study finds

By E. Janene Geiss

Philadelphia, Nov. 2 - Pozen Inc. said Wednesday that key data from a concept study of the company's PN product platform demonstrated that taking PN 100 with a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug can reduce gastric damage.

The data from the PN 100 proof-of-concept study was presented Wednesday during the American College of Gastroenterology Annual Meeting, company officials said in a press release.

The company's PN product platform consists of combinations of a gastric acid inhibitor and a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), officials said. These drug candidates may lower the risk of gastrointestinal complications in patients who use NSAID therapy for arthritis and other chronic conditions.

The PN 100 drug candidate is a fixed combination of the proton pump inhibitor lansoprazole and the NSAID naproxen, both of which have been used as individual drugs for a number of years.

The 14-day proof-of-concept study consisted of volunteers receiving either PN 100, naproxen alone or naproxen with a currently marketed once-daily dose of lansoprazole.

"The key finding of this trial is that PN 100 appears to work very well as evidenced by the fact that PN 100 significantly reduced gastric damage due to naproxen during the study period. This positive effect was evident even in this small proof-of-concept trial," James Alexander, Pozen's senior vice president of product development and chief medical officer, said in the release.

Chapel Hill, N.C.-based Pozen is developing the PN drug candidates for the management of pain and inflammation associated with conditions such as osteoarthritis, one of the most frequent causes of physical disability among adults, affecting an estimated 20 to 30 million people in the United States.

Estimates show that by 2030, 20% of Americans, about 70 million people, will have passed their 65th birthday and will be at risk of osteoarthritis.

© 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.