Shire's SHP607 misses retinopathy endpoint

Shire plc (LSE:SHP; NASDAQ:SHPG) said SHP607 missed the primary endpoint in a Phase II study. The compound failed to reduce the severity of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), a rare eye condition that occurs in premature babies.

The study enrolled 121 extremely premature infants who received continuous IV SHP607 or standard neonatal care until an equivalent gestation age of 30 weeks, when a fetus typically begins endogenously producing insulin-like growth factor-1 ( IGF-1). SHP607 is a replacement protein complex of IGF-1 and its principal binding protein, IGF binding protein 3 ( IGFBP3). ...