BioCentury
ARTICLE | Product Development

Shock options

Different views on La Jolla's LJPC-501 data from investors, doctors

March 10, 2017 10:31 PM UTC
The company did not report results on the secondary endpoint of change in cardiovascular and total Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) scores from baseline at hour 48.

While investors were quick to bid up shares of La Jolla Pharmaceutical Co. after LJPC-501 met the primary blood pressure endpoint in a Phase III trial in distributive shock, at least some physicians are questioning what utility the drug will have because the study wasn’t powered to show a mortality benefit.

In distributive shock, blood pressure plummets despite adequate cardiac function. Sepsis is the most common cause of distributive shock. Other causes include trauma and renal insufficiency...