Medarex says drug combo reduced diarrhea in trial

Medarex Inc. and the Massachusetts Biologics Laboratories said today that their two drug candidates reduced diarrhea in a clinical trial compared with a placebo.

Medarex and the laboratory have teamed up to develop the drug candidates MDX-066 and MDX-1388. In a midstage trial, patients took standard treatments for C. difficile, a bacteria that can cause colitis. They were then given either MDX-066 and MDX-1388, or a placebo. The drug combination reduced recurrence rates by about 70 percent compared with placebo.

Princeton, N.J.-based Medarex and the laboratory, which is part of the University of Massachusetts Medical School, said more than 20 percent of patients who took the placebo had a recurrence of their symptoms. The drug combination was said to be safe and well tolerated, and full results of the trial will be presented at a future conference.

The patients suffered from C. difficile associated diarrhea, which can damage the lining of the colon and cause perforations. They estimated that there are more than 500,000 cases in the United States per year, causing or contributing to about 15,000 deaths.

The disease is frequently found in hospital patients and nursing-home residents, they said. (AP)