Glenmark's arthritis drug enters clinical trials

New Delhi, Feb 21 (UNI) Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Ltd today said its experimental drug candidate, GRC 4039, has entered initial clinical trials after approval from the UK Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency.

GRC 4039 is being developed as a treatment for rheumatoid arthritis, inflammation and multiple sclerosis, a company statement said.

The initial trials are expected to be completed by October and start mid-stage trials by January 2009, it added.

''This is Glenmark's fourth molecule to enter the clinics from our pipeline,'' Managing Director Glenn Saldanha said.

Other molecules in clinical trial stages include the pain treatment drug it outlicensed to Eli Lilly and the asthma molecule outlicensed to Forest Laboratories and Japan's Teijin Pharma.

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