Nymox to advance drug program, shares surge

Nymox Pharmaceutical plans to advance liver cancer program, pushing shares higher

• On 3:18 pm EDT, Wednesday August 26, 2009

NEW YORK (AP) -- Nymox Pharmaceutical Corp. said Wednesday it plans to start testing a cancer treatment candidate on people after it showed promising results in laboratory rodents, pushing shares higher in afternoon trading.

The stock gained $1.18, or 27.5 percent, to reach $5.47. Earlier, shares reached a two-year high of $7.07.

The Hasbrouck Heights, N.J.-based company said NX-1207 "significantly" reduced the size of cancers in rodents during preclinical studies. The drug candidate, on average, cut tumor size nearly in half after 20 days.

Preclinical studies can be innacurate if used to scientifically foreshadow a treatment's potential impact on humans and companies often avoid playing up such studies as there are still years of development ahead. A compound could show fantastic results in laboratory mice and rats, but then fail miserably in humans.

Even early-stage studies are inadequate to show whether a drug is scientifically effective, and instead focus mainly on safety.

Larger midstage or late-stage studies, which include a greater number of participants, are typically standard in measuring whether a drug is effective.

Nymox said it will provide more information on the preclinical study results at a later date.

NX-1207 is being studied separately on humans in a different formulation and weaker dose as a potential enlarged prostate treatment. That program is in late-stage, or Phase III, development.

Buzz up!