BioXell's Elocalcitol performs well in OB trial

Italian biotechnology firm BioXell SpA says that its lead developmental compound Elocalcitol (previously known as BXL628) has shown efficacy in a Phase II trial as a treatment for overactive bladder conditions. The disorder is characterized by urinary urgency, frequency and nocturia and is often associated with urge incontinence.

The study was run as a placebo-controlled, double-blind, three-month examination of the agent's efficacy, and enrolled 114 subjects who suffer from the condition. Data demonstrated that the drug brought about a 21.5% increase in mean volume voided per micturition, the program's primary endpoint, in comparison with a 10.9% increase achieved by those in the placebo cohort.

BioXell added that the product, which has already demonstrated the ability to treat benign prostatic hyperplasia in a 2004 study, is also being assessed as a treatment for non-bacterial chronic prostatitis, with the results expected by the end of the year. In addition, the firm said that it would initiate further Phase II clinical studies of Elocalcitol as a therapy for interstitial cystitis at the beginning of 2007.