Furiex falls after PPD-10558 discontinuation
Furiex Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:FURX) fell $1.14 to $16.63 on Friday after discontinuing development of PPD-10558 following data that the HMG- CoA reductase inhibitor missed the primary endpoint in a Phase II trial to treat hypercholesterolemia. PPD-10558 did not significantly reduce the incidence of treatment stoppage due to statin-associated myalgia (SAM) vs. both placebo and atorvastatin.
Furiex said it was "surprised to see drop-out rates due to muscle symptoms in the placebo treatment group that were comparable to the PPD-10558 and atorvastatin treatment groups." PPD-10558 did significantly reduce LDL-C vs. placebo. The trial enrolled about 282 patients with high cholesterol who were previously intolerant to statins due to SAM. ...