Published on November 2, 2009 at 3:17 AM
Optimer Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: OPTR) today announced the presentation of new data from fidaxomicin's North American phase 3 study at the 47th Annual Meeting of the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) in Philadelphia, PA.
Mark A. Miller, M.D., head of the Division of Infectious Diseases, Chair of the Infection Prevention and Control Unit at the Jewish General Hospital in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, presented results showing that fidaxomicin is associated with faster resolution of diarrhea. In patients with more pronounced diarrhea (ie. not resolving in the first 24 hours of therapy), fidaxomicin was associated with a faster time to resolution of diarrhea than vancomycin (79 hours vs. 105 hours,>
In another presentation, Kathleen M. Mullane, D.O., an investigator from the University of Chicago, Department of Medicine, Section of Infectious Diseases, in Illinois, presented data that indicated fidaxomicin may be a more effective therapy for CDI in patients requiring concomitant antibiotics. Treatment of CDI is often complicated by systemic infections requiring concomitant antibiotics. The analysis indicated that in patients receiving concomitant antibiotics, those treated with fidaxomicin versus vancomycin, had a significantly improved global cure rate (72% vs. 50%,>
"The faster time to resolution of diarrhea and improved outcomes for patients requiring concomitant antibiotics are important factors for physicians to consider when selecting a treatment for CDI," said Michael N. Chang, Ph.D., President and CEO of Optimer Pharmaceuticals. "These additional factors along with the significantly lower recurrence rate and higher global cure rate suggest that fidaxomicin has the potential to be a best in class therapy for CDI."
SOURCE Optimer Pharmaceuticals, Inc.