Repros' testosterone drug successful in small study, shares soar

Oct 7 (Reuters) - Repros Therapeutics Inc (RPRX.O) said its experimental drug Androxal restored normal sperm count while increasing testosterone levels in an exploratory study, sending its shares up nearly three-fold.

The small study involved men with secondary hypogonadism who were receiving testosterone replacement treatment. Secondary hypogonadism is a state in which the male hormone testosterone goes below the normal range.

The company said it hopes to submit a request for a meeting with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to determine whether the agency deems these observations to be clinically relevant and whether a development program can be designed to confirm the findings of this exploratory study.

The study was designed to compare Androxal to Testim, Auxilium Pharmaceuticals Inc's (AUXL.O) gel to treat low testosterone.

Overall, treatment with Androxal was well tolerated in this study, with few side effects being reported, Repros said.

Last month, the company said U.S. health regulators asked for additional data on its lead drug Proellex, to resolve the clinical hold placed on it. [ID:nBNG404732]

Shares of the company closed at 89 cents Tuesday on Nasdaq and were trading at $2.55 before the bell. (Reporting by Jennifer Robin Raj in Bangalore; Editing by Aradhana Aravindan)