SAINT PREX, Switzerland - Thursday, May 2nd 2013 [ME NewsWire]

(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Ferring Pharmaceuticals today announced it has initiated enrolment of patients in two phase III clinical trials of elobixibat for the treatment of chronic idiopathic constipation (CIC), a common gastrointestinal disorder affecting approximately 14% of the general population1. The two studies, Echo 1 and Echo 2, will be conducted at close to 200 sites worldwide and will enrol nearly 1700 patients. The studies aim to demonstrate the efficacy and safety of repeated daily doses of elobixibat against placebo over a period of up to 26 weeks.

Elobixibat is a first-in-class compound with a novel physiological mechanism of action. It acts locally in the gut with minimal systemic exposure to enhance the amount of luminal bile acids in the colon by a partial inhibition of the Ileal Bile Acid Transporter (IBAT). This increases colonic fluid secretion and motility. Phase II clinical trials with elobixibat ... Read more »