MediciNova falls on asthma data

MediciNova Inc. (NASDAQ:MNOV; Osaka:4875) fell $1.18 (43%) to $1.57 on Thursday after MN-221 as an adjunct to standard of care missed the primary endpoint of improving percent predicted forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) at three hours vs. standard of care alone in a Phase IIb trial to treat severe acute exacerbations of asthma. The trial enrolled 175 patients who presented to a hospital emergency department with an acute exacerbation of asthma and did not initially respond to complete standard of care treatment, which included inhaled albuterol, inhaled ipratropium and steroids. According to MediciNova, administration of off-protocol therapies not typically used in treating acute exacerbations of asthma was over-represented in the placebo group. ...