Pharmaceutical companies Abbott Laboratories and its partner Neurocrine Biosciences have begun a late-stage trial of their endometriosis treatment drug, elagolix.

The firms have announced a 24-week Phase III trial of elagolix, an oral gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) antagonist that will be tested in 875 women from 18-49 years old, with moderate to severe endometriosis associated pain. It will be conducted at around 160 sites in North America.

The trial and exploration of the effectiveness of elagolix is an important step in finding potential treatments for this underserved patient population. Phase III trial has begun screening for enrollment and a second late-stage study is being planned. The firm hopes to file a New Drug Application in 2016.

Abbott earned rights to elagolix in June 2010 and the deal could be worth $575 million. It has been estimated that 100 million women worldwide suffer from endometriosis, which is associated with a multitude of symptoms. Some of the most common include pain related both to menstruation as well as chronic pelvic pain throughout the menstrual cycle, and is a leading cause of infertility.

Abbott also noted that the annual costs of endometriosis are estimated to exceed $20 billion in the USA alone.

IVF NY offers online consultations to couples who may be having difficulty conceiving as a result of ineffective endometriosis treatment.