A new heart-tissue drug being developed by Winnipeg biotech company Medicure Inc. performed far better than even the investigators expected, according to the full results of phase II clinical trials released this week.

Phase II clinical trial results of Medicure's MC-1 were released in full this week at a major cardiologists' conference in Chicago. Dr. James E. Tcheng, associate professor of medicine at Duke University Medical Center and the principal investigator of the trial, said the trial was designed to show the safety, efficacy and feasibility of administering the drug, but not necessarily statistically relevant evidence that the compound worked.

However the 60-patient trial results showed the drug reduced the amount of heart-tissue damage in patients who just received angioplasty by 33 per cent.

"We were really exploring the safety angle and efficacy, now we can find the right dose," Tcheng said in a conference call yesterday from Chicago.

The full results of the phase II clinical trial were released at the 52nd annual scientific sessions of the American College of Cardiology in Chicago earlier this week. Medicure's chairman and CEO, Albert Friesen, said presenting at such an event is a prestigious opportunity for a small company like Medicure. The company's credibility was also enhanced by virtue of the fact the Duke Medical Center conducted the trial.

"We were very well-received by our peers (at the cardiologist conference), which reinforced our confidence in MC-1 and underlined our understanding of the clear need that exists for a drug like this," Friesen said in a telephone interview yesterday from Chicago.

Preliminary results of the clinical trial were released in January and at that time Medicure's stock virtually doubled in price from about 50 cents to $1. However, in an example of the unpredictability of the stock market, Medicure's price has fallen by 15 cents since the close of trading Friday, including losing four cents in trading yesterday. The stock closed at 77 cents yesterday.

But Friesen stressed the drug exceeded expectations in terms of the standard way the industry measures confidence in new drug trials.

martin.cash@freepress.mb.ca