PureTech Share News (PRTC)

LONDON (Alliance News) - Biopharmaceutical firm PureTech Health PLC on Monday said its Gelesis affiliate has announced "promising clinical data" from a study of a GS500 prototype in constipation.

PureTech has a 21% stake in Gelesis, which develops treatments for obesity and chronic diseases of the gastrointestinal pathway. Gelesis's GS500 prototype is a mix of hydrogels made from modified cellulose cross-linked with citric acid.

In patients with chronic idiopathic constipation, colonic transit time - the amount of time it takes for food to pass through the gut - fell by around 16 hours compared to the baseline when patients took GS500.

"One out of seven adults throughout the world suffer from chronic idiopathic constipation. This condition can have a significant negative impact on quality of life," said Braden Kuo, a doctor at the gastrointestinal unit in the Massachusetts General Hospital department of medicine.

"The safety and efficacy results of this study are intriguing and suggest further clinical evaluation in this very common, treatment resistant condition would be both warranted and welcome," Kuo added.

Shares in PureTech were up 2.0% at 203.04 pence on Monday morning.