Preclinical eye surface disease treatment trials prove successful

A preclinical trial of a new eye-drop formulation for the treatment of eye surface diseases has revealed positive results. Neuroptis Biotech has revealed that the trial of its ML7 eye-drop formulation has worked well for the treatment dry eye in particular.

The ML7 product is the first of its kind in a new therapeutic class and could provide a targeted and effective response to people that suffer from dry eye syndromes. As well as being an uncomfortable problem, dry eye syndrome can affect people's lachrymal apparatus, which present as too few tears.

This type of syndrome can be caused by a number of different factors, including allergies, cataract surgery, Gougerot-Sjogren syndrome or inflammation of the anterior segment. 

Animal testing of the product has found that it was tolerated well and had a systemic absorption rate that was less than one per cent. It also proved to have superior efficacy when compared to the placebo - which was made up of the same eye drops, but did not contain the ML7 formulation. 

Results of the preclinical trial were published in the medical journal 'Investigative Ophtgalmology and Visual Science'.

Doctor Eric Belot, chief executive of Neuroptis Biotech, said: "The completion of preclinical work and studies marks the culmination of efforts by the team at Neuroptis Biotech and their partners, Provence Technologies, Octalia, Cerep and Iris Pharma. We will start phases I and II in the next few months, as soon as the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has given its approval for trials on human subjects.” 

Clinical trials on humans are to be launched via a subcontractor as soon as permissions are granted and clinical batches of the product have been produced. Treatments for dry eye syndromes have seen a huge growth in the pharmaceutical market, resulting in an estimated market value of around $1.2 billion (£746 million) globally. 

Applications for approval are also going to be submitted to the EMA and from patient protection committees.