Matrix Pharmaceutical Inc. initiated Phase III clinical trialstoday on its therapeutic implant for treating genital warts, MPI5003.

The Menlo Park, Calif., company said it expects to enroll about400 patients with genital warts in the randomized, double-blind, placebo controlled, multicenter study. Patients will beevaluated for complete and partial treatment responses andwill be monitored for an extended period after the end oftreatment.

Matrix (NASDAQ:MATX) reported the Phase II data on MPI5003 for treating genital warts last week at the ClinicalDermatology in the Year 2000 Meeting in Vienna, Austria. Theresults indicated that this therapeutic injectable implant, whichconsists of a biodegradable protein matrix, 5-fluorouracil andthe vasoconstrictor epinephrine, is capable of releasing 5-FUfor extended periods of time. There was total clearance ofgenital warts in 65 percent of the treated patients, and 61percent of those individuals remained disease-free threemonths after therapy. -- Jennifer Van Brunt

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