LONDON (Alliance News) - GlaxoSmithKline PLC Tuesday said it has started a phase III programme to evaluate the efficacy and safety of investigational oxytocin antagonist retosiban for premature births.
Babies that are born prematurely can face severe health problems, and retosiban is in development as a potential treatment to improve neonatal outcomes of babies born to women in spontaneous pre-term labour by prolonging the time to delivery.
The treatment is intended to block the effects of the hormone oxytocin, which is produced by the body during labour.
The first study in the programme will test the efficacy and safety of the treatment compared to atosiban, with the primary outcome measure being the time to delivery after the start of treatment. Secondary endpoints will measure neonatal morbidities and mortality, and a follow-up study will assess the long-term safety and outcomes for infants born to mothers participating in the studies.
"Preterm birth is a leading cause of illness and death in newborns and infants worldwide. As part of our efforts to address this issue, we are evaluating whether retosiban can potentially stop preterm labour and whether increasing the gestational age of a newborn baby can reduce the complications of prematurity," said Vice President and Head of Glaxo's Maternal & Neonatal Health Unit Pauline Williams in a statement.
In a separate statement the company also said Tuesday it will invest USD25 million and become partner in a new global fund for dementia research being established by the UK government, named The Dementia Discovery Fund.
The fund has initial commitments of USD100 million, and is aimed at identifying and supporting new avenues of research in the field of dementia.
Shares in GlaxoSmithKline are trading up 0.2% at 1,580.75 pence Tuesday morning.
By Hana Stewart-Smith; hanassmith@alliancenews.com; @HanaSSAllNews
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