Carcinoid Syndrome
Lexicon’s LX1032 drug candidate is intended to provide relief from the symptoms of carcinoid syndrome by decreasing production of non-neuronal (peripheral) serotonin.
About the Disease
Carcinoid tumors are a type of neuroendocrine tumor that typically forms in the gastrointestinal system. Carcinoid syndrome is a combination of symptoms, including severe diarrhea, bronchial restriction, facial flushing, and rapid heartbeat, caused by the release of excessive serotonin and other bioactive molecules into the blood stream from metastatic carcinoid tumors.
About the Market
According to the American Cancer Society, approximately 12,000 patients are diagnosed with neuroendocrine tumors each year in the U.S, and the frequency of carcinoid tumor diagnoses has been increasing for many years. Currently, there is only one injectable drug approved by the FDA for treating the symptoms of carcinoid syndrome. Other compounds have controlled some symptoms of carcinoid syndrome such as diarrhea, but they have also reduced serotonin levels in the brain and thereby caused depression.
The Lexicon Solution
LX1032 is designed to reduce serotonin production in the periphery by inhibiting the enzyme tryptophan hydroxylase (TPH). LX1032 has the potential to avoid the negative side effects associated with other TPH inhibitors by not affecting brain serotonin production. Lexicon filed an Investigational New Drug (IND) application for LX1032 at the end of 2007. Following FDA review, Lexicon plans to initiate Phase 1 clinical trials.