Acacia seeks options after hitting in PONV Phase III

Acacia Pharma Ltd. (Cambridge, U.K.) said its lead product APD421 reduced the incidence of post-operative nausea and vomiting in two Phase III trials of adult surgical patients at moderate to high risk for PONV. Acacia, which is not discussing its plans for advancing APD421 into registration, also disclosed it has retained JPMorgan Cazenove to advise on the company's strategic options.

The trials, one conducted in the U.S. and the other in France and Germany, enrolled a total of 689 surgical patients with two or more of the four Apfel risk factors for PONV. In a combined analysis, the IV formulation of amisulpride, an off-patent dopamine D2 and D3 receptor antagonist, produced a 19.4% relative risk reduction in treated patients compared to those given placebo (p=0.005). Rates of adverse events did not differ between the groups, the company said. ...