Baxter Healthcare and Halozyme Therapeutics announce results of hylenex trial

Baxter Healthcare and Halozyme Therapeutics report that the results of a phase III clinical trial demonstrate that administering morphine with hylenex accelerated the time to maximal blood levels of morphine by 33 per cent.

The results were compared to a morphine with placebo, while the firms noted the administration “appeared safe and well tolerated”.

Commenting on the test results, Jay Thomas, clinical medical director at San Diego Hospice and principal investigator for the trial, said clinical effects could be achieved more rapidly using hylenex.

“The observed shortening of the time to maximal concentration for a co-administered morphine with hylenex recombinant implies that clinical effects, such as analgesia, may be achieved more rapidly by subcutaneous injection, without the need for intravenous infusion,” he noted.

Hylenex recombinant is a liquid injectable formulation, which includes the Food and Drug Administration approved active pharmaceutical ingredient recombinant human hyaluronidase. It works as a spreading agent to improve the absorption and dispersion of other injected drugs and can be used for subcutaneous hydration.

Separately, Baxter and Halozyme announced a $20 million (10.21 million pound) expansion of their existing hylenex agreements.