Experimental diabetes drug fails study

EVANSTON - Biopharmaceutical company Aptinyx Inc. Thursday said a drug it is studying to treat patients with painful diabetic peripheral neuropathy failed a recent clinical study.

The drug, NYX-2925, did not achieve statistically significant separation from a placebo on the study's primary endpoint, which assessed the change from baseline in average daily pain on the numeric rating scale, the company said.

"We are clearly disappointed that the study did not meet its primary endpoint," said Dr. Andy Kidd, president and chief executive officer of Aptinyx. "We appreciate the contributions of patients, investigators and the entire team that worked on the study. Unfortunately, the data from this study do not currently point to a path forward in development for painful (diabetic peripheral neuropathy)."

However, Aptinyx continues to believe that NYX-2925 can offer a novel therapeutic approach for fibromyalgia, a disorder fundamentally characterized by abnormal pain processing in the brain, he said. The company expects results from its ongoing fibromyalgia Phase 2b clinical study later this year.