Scotia Reports Positive Results For EF4

Scotia Pharmaceuticals presented positive results from a large-scale multicenter study with its EF4 treatment for diabetic neuropathy at a meeting in London last week.

The company reported on two trials, one in painful diabetic neuropathy (which affects approximately 15% of patients) and the other a larger version of its original study (Marketletters passim) with patients who have the non-painful form of the disease. In the painful-neuropathy trial, EF4 was not found to be helpful in relieving pain. Some patients improved substantially, said the company, while others did not, and overall there was no significant difference between the active and placebo groups.

In contrast, said Scotia, of the 28 parameters studied in the main trial, 25 improved significantly in the treated arm while in the placebo group, all 28 parameters deteriorated. For the three measurements which deteriorated on active treatment, the decline was less than that seen in the placebo-treated patients.