Jerini Ophthalmic Treats First Patient in Phase I Trial for Age-related Macular Degeneration

10-Oct-2007

Jerini AG announced that its wholly-owned subsidiary, Jerini Ophthalmic, Inc., has treated the first patient in its Phase I clinical trial evaluating JSM 6427 for the treatment of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). JSM 6427 is a small molecule in development to prevent the progression of dry AMD to wet AMD. The Phase I trial will assess the safety of JSM 6427 in patients suffering from AMD and treat up to 36 patients with either single or repeat intravitreal doses.

"By blocking a final common pathway in the initiation and progression of wet AMD, JSM 6427 is designed to address a large at-risk population of patients," said Anthony P. Adamis, CEO and President of Jerini Ophthalmic. "To date, these patients have no FDA-approved treatments for their condition."

A product of Jerini's P2D platform, JSM 6427 is the first small molecule alpha5beta1 integrin receptor antagonist of its kind to be developed. It has been biologically validated for therapeutic use in the prevention and treatment of wet AMD. In comparison to other therapies, JSM 6427 not only blocks angiogenesis induced by multiple growth factors such as VEGF (Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor), but also inhibits the effects of other growth factors and cytokines leading to angiogenesis, inflammation, and fibrosis. To address patient convenience as well as compliance, Jerini Ophthalmic is currently conducting preclinical tests using slow release formulations of JSM 6427 for AMD and other fibrotic eye diseases. JSM 6427 is also a promising potential drug candidate for combined use with other approved anti-VEGF therapies.

https://www.bionity.com/en/news/71465/jerini-ophthalmic-treats-first-patient-in-phase-i-trial-for-age-related-macular-degeneration.html