Synergy Pharmaceuticals Initiates Multiple Ascending Dose Phase Ib Trial in Healthy Volunteers of SP-333, a Second Generation Guanylate Cyclase C Agonist for the Treatment of Ulcerative Colitis

NEW YORK, Jan. 28, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Synergy Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq:SGYP), a developer of new drugs to treat gastrointestinal (GI) disorders, announced today that oral dosing of healthy volunteers has begun in a Phase I clinical trial of SP-333, a guanylate cyclase C (GC-C) agonist for the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) including ulcerative colitis (UC). SP-333 has exhibited potent anti-inflammatory activity in animal studies of colitis, displaying a novel mechanism-of-action that the company believes could provide a new way to treat UC patients with mild-to-moderate disease.