Rigel Pharma terminates Allergic Asthma development of R 343

Rigel Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has announced that R 343, an inhaled SYK inhibitor being evaluated as a potential therapeutic for patients with Allergic Asthma, did not meet the primary or secondary endpoints in a recently completed Phase II clinical study. The primary endpoint was the change in pre-bronchodilator FEV1 (a measure of lung function) from baseline to dosing completion at Week 8, comparing active doses to placebo. R 343 was shown to be relatively safe and well tolerated at both doses. In light of these overall findings, the company has decided not to pursue this indication with R 343.