Logical Therapeutics to present its clinical study results on LT-NS001

Oct 21 2009

Logical Therapeutics, Inc. (Logical), a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing products that treat medical conditions associated with inflammation, has been selected to present the results of its clinical study comparing the gastrointestinal (GI) safety of its lead product LT-NS001, vs. naproxen at the American College of Gastroenterology's (ACG) Annual Scientific Meeting on October 27, 2009.

LT-NS001 is the first in a new class of bio-activated pro-drugs. It is a novel, patented new chemical entity (NCE) pro-drug of the popular non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) naproxen, which is being developed by Logical Therapeutics to significantly reduce the gastrointestinal (GI) safety risks, including the formation of ulcers, associated with naproxen.

"We are very encouraged by the results of the LT-NS001 vs. naproxen study, and we look forward to sharing them later this month at the ACG meeting," said Peter A. Lankau, chief executive officer of Logical Therapeutics. "This novel, bio-activated pro-drug is being developed to fulfill an unmet need in the marketplace - to provide a single agent capable of delivering relief to those who suffer from chronic inflammatory conditions like arthritis, while significantly improving the GI safety and tolerability as compared to naproxen."

LT-NS001 Well-Tolerated with No Serious Adverse Events

LT-NS001 is unique among NSAIDs as it is pharmacologically inactive as a Cox inhibitor in the GI tract, but once absorbed into the bloodstream, it is converted rapidly and quantitatively to naproxen. In previous clinical studies, LT-NS001 was well-tolerated with no serious adverse events. In pre-clinical testing, LT-NS001 demonstrated significantly less damage to the gastrointestinal tract than equivalent doses of naproxen. Naproxen is widely regarded as the NSAID with the most favorable cardiovascular safety profile among all of the drugs in this class.

In this study, subjects underwent upper endoscopies at baseline and on day seven. Subjects receiving LT-NS001 experienced significantly fewer endoscopically-confirmed gastric ulcers compared to subjects receiving naproxen. The full results from this study will be presented at the American College of Gastroenterology meeting on October 27 in San Diego, Calif.

"In the U.S. alone, the direct costs of treating ulcer complications associated with NSAID use exceed $4 billion annually, and serious complications such as hemorrhage and perforation are directly responsible for approximately 20,000 deaths per year," Lankau said. "LT-NS001 has the potential to help bring down these costs and reduce serious complications for patients whose need for NSAID anti-inflammatory treatment is complicated by significant gastrointestinal risks."