HeartBurn Relief

Shares of XenoPort Inc. plunged Tuesday after the biotechnology company said its heartburn drug candidate failed to improve severe heartburn symptoms in a midstage study.

Dec. 2 (Bloomberg) — XenoPort Inc. fell the most in 3 1/2 years of public trading after the company, developer of a technique to promote drug absorption, said its heartburn medicine failed in a study.

Diagnosed early, esophageal cancer is usually curable but for about 90 percent of patients, early detection and treatment are missed and the outcome is fatal. But now there are simpler and safer alternatives for detecting and treating an esophageal problem even before it becomes a serious precancer.

(Adds details, share movement) Dec 2 (Reuters) - Biopharmaceutical company XenoPort Inc said its treatment to reduce symptoms of acid reflux failed to meet the main goal in a mid-stage study, sending its shares down 34 percent before the bell. The drug XP19986 did not prove to be statistically significant compared to a dummy drug in reducing heartburn episodes, a symptom of acid reflux disease. …

Half a century ago, my grandmother died of esophageal cancer. For decades preceding her death, a bottle of milk of magnesia was her steady companion because she suffered daily from heartburn, now known as gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD. But many years passed before a link was clearly established between chronic irritation of the esophagus by stomach acid and this usually fatal cancer. …

Dec. 2 (Bloomberg) — XenoPort Inc. fell in early trading after the company, developer of a technique to promote drug absorption, said its heartburn medicine failed in a study.

GERD symptoms can occur at any time. However, they usually occur after overeating, or lying down after a big meal. Symptoms may last for a few minutes or a few hours.

XenoPort, Inc. (Nasdaq:XNPT) announced today top-line results from a Phase 2 clinical trial that examined the ability of XP19986 ( arbaclofen placarbil ) extended-release tablets to reduce symptoms experienced by subjects with gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD. The primary analysis comparing XP19986 to placebo did not reach statistical significance. However, pre-defined subgroup analyses …

I f news of the economy has you tossing and turning at night, you’re not alone.

President-elect Barack Obama has received favorable reviews for the personnel choices he has made for his administration so far, but the picks are causing some political heartburn for Democrats around the country.