|
Acucela, a biopharmaceutical company developing treatments for blinding eye diseases, has announced that their emerging treatment, ACU-4429, has demonstrated safety and effectiveness in slowing or halting the progression of dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in a small Phase I clinical trial. The oral treatment is initially targeted at AMD, but may also be effective in treating conditions such as Stargardt disease or Best disease. The drug works by slowing the accumulation of toxic waste products that cause retinal degeneration, and subsequently, vision loss. Acucela says that a key benefit of their drug is that it is not derived from vitamin A (i.e., it is not a retinoid), and is therefore likely to be less toxic than other emerging retinoid-based drugs that are designed to halt the buildup of toxins in the retina. The company plans to begin a Phase II clinical study of ACU-4429 later this year. Phase I clinical study data were presented in early May 2009 at the annual meeting of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology. Currently, there are no FDA-approved treatments for dry AMD — a vision-robbing condition that affects more than 10 million Americans and millions more around the world. |
