Synergy Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: SGYP), a developer of new drugs to treat gastrointestinal disorders and diseases, today announced that its President and CEO, Gary S. Jacob, Ph.D, will present at the 14th Annual BIO CEO & Investor Conference. Dr. Jacob´s presentation will be given on Monday, February 13, 2012 at 3:30 p.m. EST in the East Foyer of the Waldorf Astoria in New York, NY.
About Synergy Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Synergy is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of new drugs to treat gastrointestinal disorders and diseases. Synergy´s proprietary drug candidate plecanatide is a synthetic analog of the human gastrointestinal hormone uroguanylin, and functions by activating the guanylate cyclase C (GC-C) receptor on epithelial cells of the GI tract. Synergy completed a Phase I study of plecanatide in healthy volunteers and a Phase IIa clinical trial in patients to treat chronic idiopathic constipation (CIC) patients. In October 2011, Synergy initiated a Phase II/III 800-patient, 90-day repeated-oral-dose, placebo-controlled clinical trial of plecanatide in CIC patients. Plecanatide is also being developed to treat constipation-predominant irritable bowel syndrome (IBS-C), with the first trial in IBS-C patients planned for 2012. Synergy´s second GC-C agonist SP-333 is presently in pre-clinical development to treat inflammatory bowel diseases. More information is available at http://www.synergypharma.com.
About Plecanatide
Plecanatide is a member of a new class of essentially non-systemic drugs, referred to as guanylate cyclase C (GC-C) agonists, that are currently in development to treat CIC and IBS-C, which includes a first-in-class drug being developed by Ironwood (Nasdaq: IRWD) and Forest Labs (NYSE: FRX). Plecanatide is a synthetic analog of uroguanylin, a natriuretic hormone that regulates ion and fluid transport in the GI tract. Orally-administered plecanatide binds to and activates GC-C receptors expressed on epithelial cells lining the GI mucosa, resulting in activation of the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR), and leading to augmented flow of chloride and water into the lumen of the gut. Activation of the GC-C receptor pathway is believed to facilitate bowel movement as well as producing other beneficial physiological responses including improvement in abdominal pain and inflammation. In animal models, oral administration of plecanatide promotes intestinal secretion and also ameliorates GI inflammation.
