Pozen Inc. (POZN)

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POZEN Inc. (NASDAQ: POZN) today announced that results of a Phase 1 Trial of PA65020, a combination of enteric-coated aspirin (EC-ASA) and immediate-release (IR) omeprazole, show PA65020 significantly reduces the incidence of gastrointestinal (GI) mucosal damage compared to EC-ASA (650 mg twice daily) in healthy adults treated for one month. Patients receiving analgesic doses of EC-ASA were five times more likely to experience significant GI mucosal damage than patients receiving PA65020. The study concluded that PA65020 may provide an important therapeutic option for at-risk patients who require analgesic doses of aspirin. Data will be presented on May 7th at the 29th Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Pain Society (APS) in Baltimore, MD, being held May 6-8. Data will also be included in a supplemental issue of the Journal of Pain.

The benefits of aspirin are well-documented and more than five billion units of aspirin in all of its forms are sold in the U.S. each year. But because aspirin is linked with significant GI damage, it may be underutilized for both secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease as well as pain. “We are pleased to report that PA65020 reduces the incidence of upper GI damage compared to aspirin therapy,” said Dr. John Fort, Chief Medical Officer, POZEN. “These results are promising for the millions of people who could benefit from analgesic doses of aspirin therapy, but are at risk for upper GI damage from this treatment.”