AstraZeneca begins phase III programme for constipation drug

AstraZeneca has commenced a phase III clinical trial programme for a new treatment for opioid-induced constipation.

The pharmaceutical company has begun enrolling patients for the first of two planned placebo-controlled studies that will evaluate the oral agent NKTR-118, which was developed in partnership with Nektar Therapeutics.

Conducted over 12 weeks each, the trials will aim to determine the efficacy of the drug in combating a condition that is a common side effect of the prescription opioids used in chronic pain management.

A three-month safety extension will follow one of the two trials, with data from the programme intended to support regulatory filings planned for 2013.

Anders Ekblom, executive vice-president of global medicine development at AstraZeneca, said opioid-induced constipation "continues to be an area of unmet need in patients needing effective pain treatment".

Earlier this month, AstraZeneca announced that dapagliflozin, the new diabetes drug it is developing with Bristol-Myers Squibb, has been accepted for regulatory review in the EU and US.