BIONOVO LAUNCHES TRIAL OF MF101 FOR TREATMENT OF MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS

Bionovo Inc. has begun recruiting participants for their Phase II clinical trial evaluating their lead drug candidate, menopause formula 101 (MF101), for the treatment of menopausal symptoms.

Laboratory data has shown that MF101 does not stimulate estrogen dependent tumor formation or uterine proliferation and therefore may prove to be a safer alternative to the currently available hormone therapies. In 2002, the Women's Health Initiative Estrogen Plus Progestin Trial, which enrolled over 16,000 women, was stopped early because the standard dose of combination hormone therapy increased the risk of breast cancer, stroke, heart attacks, blood clots and dementia.