AltheRx, a privately-held clinical development company, has purchased all assets related to Solabegron from GlaxoSmithKline. Solabegron is a highly selective and potent beta3-adrenoceptor agonist that has demonstrated positive results in phase II clinical programs for the treatment of overactive bladder (OAB) in women and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Solabegron also demonstrated a favorable tolerability profile across all phase II studies.

"AltheRx's business strategy is to acquire novel products aligned with our core expertise, and efficiently advance them through development," said Shawn O'Brien, CEO of AltheRx Pharmaceuticals. "Solabegron is an outstanding primary product for AltheRx. The clinical data suggest that the novel mechanism of Solabegron has the potential to address the needs of patients suffering from OAB and IBS."

In the phase II OAB study, Solabegron was studied in 258 patients with moderate to severe incontinence experiencing an average of 4.5 wet episodes per day. Study results demonstrated a significant improvement with Solabegron as compared to placebo as measured by the reduction of the number of wet episodes and the number of voids per day. In IBS, a phase II study evaluated 102 patients indicated that Solabegron demonstrated significant reduction in pain associated with IBS and a trend for greater improvement in the quality of life compared to placebo. Both phase II studies indicated a tolerability profile for Solabegron that was similar to placebo.