Durect shares stumble as top drug fails mid-stage trial
Durect’s shares are crashing again.
Two years after a Novartis-partnered Phase III flop sent them into penny stock territory, Durect has failed another trial for a top candidate. This time, though, the biotech may have better fallback options.
DUR-928, the lead drug in Durect’s epigenetic regulator program, was tested in 28 plaque psoriasis patients. Each patient served as their own control, with the drug administered to one arm and the placebo administered to the other. The good news was that there was no meaningful difference in adverse effects between the two arms. The bad news was there didn’t seem to be much of a difference at all, as DUR-928 “did not demonstrate a benefit over vehicle (placebo)” and missed all primary and secondary endpoints.
Unlock this article instantly by becoming a free subscriber.
You’ll get access to free articles each month, plus you can customize what newsletters get delivered to your inbox each week, including breaking news.