Strong ABPM data for naproxcinod vs naproxen

French drugmaker NicOx SA says that encouraging clinical results from an exploratory pharmacodynamic study of naproxcinod using ambulatory blood pressure monitoring were presented at the American Heart Association scientific sessions 2007, in Orlando, Florida. Naproxcinod is the first compound in the COX-inhibiting nitric oxide donator class of anti-inflammatory agents and is in clinical development for the treatment of the signs and symptoms of osteoarthritis.

According to NicOx, the data presented at the AHA showed that the blood pressure measurements for naproxcinod over 24 hours were consistently below those observed for naproxen, a currently-marketed non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agent. NSAIDs are known to have the detrimental effect of raising patients' blood pressure. The presentation included line graphs displaying hourly mean blood pressure measurements over 24 hours, which showed that the hourly systolic and diastolic blood pressure values for naproxcinod were consistently below those observed in the naproxen group. In addition, the data suggest that the blood pressure effect of naproxcinod lasts for seven to eighth hours after each administration.