PROLOR Biotech initiates Phase II clinical trial of biobetter version of human growth hormone

PROLOR Biotech, Inc. (NYSE Amex: PBTH), a company developing next generation biobetter therapeutic proteins, today announced initiation of a Phase II clinical trial of hGH-CTP, the company's proprietary biobetter version of human growth hormone (hGH).

PROLOR is developing hGH-CTP to provide growth hormone deficient adults and children with hGH therapy that requires only once-weekly or bi-monthly injections, rather than the multiple injections per week required by current hGH therapy.  The initiation of the Phase II clinical trial follows a successful Phase I clinical trial, which suggested, in addition to meeting all safety and tolerability endpoints, that hGH-CTP could potentially be effective when injected just twice per month.

"We are enthusiastic about the therapeutic potential of hGH-CTP based on its compelling preclinical and clinical safety and bioactivity data," said Abraham Havron, Ph.D., CEO of PROLOR.  "Growth hormone therapy requires many years of daily injections.  For example, a 10-year old growth hormone-deficient child will be injected with hGH approximately 3,000 times by the age of 18, and a 30-year-old diagnosed with adult-onset growth hormone deficiency would require more than 16,000 injections by the age of 75.  We hope to offer these patients a better alternative by significantly reducing the number of injections required to treat their condition."