Pipeline
In developing its initial products, ASCEND has incorporated the long-proven Enhanced Hydroalcoholic Gel (EHG®) technology developed by its strategic partner Besins International, a leading European pharmaceutical company and the world's largest manufacturer of prescription pharmaceutical gels.
ASCEND's lead product is afimoxifene gel, an antiestrogen being evaluated for the treatment of cyclic breast pain and other estrogen dependent disorders in premenopausal women. Results of a Phase 2 clinical trial of afimoxifene gel indicate that the treatment was well tolerated and showed a statistically significant reduction in cyclic breast pain. In this trial, headaches were the most common side effect, which were in general mild and similar across treatment groups. ASCEND also believes that afimoxifene gel has the potential to treat a broad range of estrogen-related conditions.
A multi-center, Phase 2 trial of afimoxifene gel vs. oral tamoxifen in women with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) of the breast will be conducted by the National Cancer Prevention Group Consortium starting in the second quarter of 2009. This trial is being coordinated by the National Institutes of Health/National Cancer Institute. To learn more about ASCEND's breast cancer research project, visit the website of our R&D affiliate BHR Pharma, LLC.
The company's second product is a transdermal dihydrotestosterone gel therapy for late-onset hypogonadism, a chronic condition affecting men over age 55. This product is currently in Phase 2 clinical trials to gauge efficacy.