UPDATE 2-Crinetics' hormonal disorder drug succeeds in late-stage study

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March 19 (Reuters) - Crinetics Pharmaceuticals said on Tuesday its experimental drug to treat a rare hormonal disorder met the main goal of the second of two late-stage studies, putting the company on track to seek U.S. approval later this year.

Shares of the San Diego, California-based drug developer jumped 8.2% in premarket trading. The stock has risen 45.4% since September, when the same drug met the main goal of another late-stage study.

The daily oral drug, called paltusotine, is being tested in patients with acromegaly, a rare disease caused by benign tumors that lead to high levels of the growth hormone. Excess levels of the hormone can cause severe complications.

Acromegaly, which Crinetics estimates affects about 25,000 patients in the United States, is usually treated by surgically removing the benign tumors.

Other options to treat the disease include injections such as octreotide or lanreotide for patients whose surgery was unsuccessful.

The study enrolled 111 adults with acromegaly who had elevated levels of IGF-1 protein and were previously untreated.

In the study, 56% of 54 patients given paltusotine were able to maintain standard levels of the protein that plays a role in moderating the growth hormone, versus 5% of 57 patients on a placebo.

The drug also helped to reduce symptoms of the disease, as self reported by patients versus a placebo, which was one of the secondary endpoints of the trial.

Crinetics said it plans to submit a marketing application for the drug in the second half of 2024 and is preparing for a potential launch in 2025.

(Reporting by Sneha S K in Bengaluru; Editing by Shilpi Majumdar)