Morria Initiates Phase II Allergic Rhinitis Trial

Morria Biopharmaceuticals has initiated a Phase II equivalent study of MRX-4, in a nasal aerosol formulation, in 105 patients suffering from allergic rhinitis.

The two-arm, randomized, multi-dose, double-blind, placebo-controlled study includes Rhinocort as the steroid comparator arm. The study is expected to be completed by the end of third quarter 2008.

The study is designed to evaluate the safety, tolerability, and efficacy of intranasal MRX-4 in allergic rhinitis (AR) patients outside of the local allergy season as compared with both placebo and an intranasal steroid. An experimental multi-functional anti-inflammatory drug, MRX-4 is a non-steroidal potential treatment for AR that has generated promising preclinical efficacy data.

Mark Cohen, chairman of the board at Morria, said: “We are excited about the opportunity to evaluate the safety and efficacy of MRX-4 in a multi-dose trial for treating allergic rhinitis. MRX-4 could provide unique, non-steroidal, first-choice drug treatment for allergic rhinitis.”