Drug development company BiolineRX Ltd. (TASE:BLRX) today announced that it has received approval from Israel's Ministry of Health to begin a Phase II clinical trial of BL-7040, an orally available molecule for treating Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD). The results are expected by the end of 2012.
BiolineRX reported that the Phase II trial will be an open-label study to evaluate the efficacy, pharma-dynamics, safety and tolerability of oral BL-7040 in up to 20 patients with moderately active ulcerative colitis, a type of IBD. Patients will be treated for up to five weeks with BL-7040: 12mg per day for up to three weeks followed by 40mg per day for two additional weeks. The clinical trial will be carried out at two sites in Israel: Sourasky Medical Center in Tel Aviv and Hadassah Medical Center in Jerusalem.
BiolineRX CEO Dr. Kinneret Savitsky said, "Many of today's treatments have severe side effects and are not effective in up to 40% of patients. BL-7040 is an orally available treatment for Inflammatory Bowel Disease with a novel mechanism of action, which we believe will have greater efficacy and an improved safety profile."
Bioline's share price rose 4.1% to NIS 1.21 on the TASE today.
Published by Globes, Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on March 5, 2012
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