Stanford Rook Completes First Phase III TB Trial

UK firm Stanford Rook has completed a Phase III trial of SRL172, a novel treatment for tuberculosis, in South Africa. Results from this trial, known as SR-TB-03, should be available in February 1997, and if the data are positive the company hopes to get the product to market sometime in 1998.

In the meantime, Stanford Rook has started testing SRL172 in a second Phase III trial in the UK (SR-TB-04), and has also initiated four Phase II trials with partners in the USA. The new developments were reported as the firm announced its six-month results ended June 30. During the period, Stanford Rook spent L307,000 ($475,000) on R&D, its cash balances exceeded L7 million on June 30, and the pretax loss was L270,000.

Shortening Treatment Time In the TB trials, a single dose of SRL172 is given as an adjunct to a short course of conventional antimycobacterial chemotherapy (six months) in newly-diagnosed patients. SRL172 is described as an immunotherapeutic agent which stimulates the host's immune (Th1 lymphocyte) response to the infection.