Durham-based Inspire Pharmaceuticals, a spinout from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill that was initially helped with a $40,000 loan from the North Carolina Biotechnology Center, has reported promising clinical trial data showing its inhalant drug denufosol helped improve lung function of cystic fibrosis patients.
The late-stage clinical trial compared denufosol to a placebo in patients with cystic fibrosis, a disease that produces thick, sticky mucus in the lungs.
Denufosol is designed to improve the lungs' ability to moisten their mucus surfaces and better clear out bacteria and viruses, improving breathing.
The company said it still must complete a study examining the drug's safety, a second late-stage trial and a two-year study examining whether the drugs may promote cancer before it can apply to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for marketing approval.
News of the favorable report sent Inspire stock rocketing upward more than 50 percent within the first hour of its release.
