Novacea cheered on decision to expand cancer trial

Novacea has disclosed that it has asked the FDA to boost enrollment in a late-stage trial of its prostate cancer drug, Asentar. The company, which reported widening second-quarter losses as a result of higher R&D spending, wants to enlist 1200 patients in Phase III rather than the 900 it originally set out to test. Bigger trials produce more reliable results. Novacea shares slid this morning on its numbers, even though the analysts were cheering the company's decision to expand its cancer trial.

- see Novacea's financial results
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