Repros Surges On Study Data For Hormone Treatment

NEW YORK (AP) — Shares of Repros Therapeutics Inc. more than doubled in value Wednesday after the company reported positive clinical trial results for its drug candidate Androxal, which is designed to increase testosterone production in men.

Shares of the Woodlands, Texas-based company climbed $1.14, or 128 percent, to $2.03 in midday trading at nearly 20 times their average daily volume. The stock closed at 89 cents on Tuesday.

In a safety and efficacy study, Androxal restored normal testicular function in men whose bodies produced low amounts of testosterone, Repros said. Men who took Androxal after stopping a previous therapy achieved normal sperm count levels, according to the company. Compared with another drug, the patients had higher sperm counts and higher levels of two key hormones.

The trial consisted of 21 men age 46 to 51. All of them had secondary hypogonadism, a condition in which the body produces lower-than-average levels of testosterone because the pituitary gland is not stimulating hormone production by the testes.

All the trial subjects had been taking another hormone replacement, but stopped using it before the start of the trial. In the study they took either 25 milligrams per day of Androxal, or used Testim, a testosterone gel made by Auxilium Pharmaceuticals Inc.