Leuven -
The Company is progressing its pipeline of innovative clinical drug candidates for treating DME. DME is a significant global healthcare problem and the major cause of vision loss in diabetic patients worldwide.
THR-687 is a best in class small molecule pan-RGD integrin antagonist being developed to treat DME with the possibility to become the standard of care for all treatment-naive DME patients.
We have recently started our Phase 2 study of THR-149 in patients with DME. This two-part study will first select the optimal dose of THR-149 and will then compare it with aflibercept in terms of improvements in best corrected visual acuity. This Phase 2 data is designed to support our plans to position THR-149 as the treatment of choice for the large number of DME patients who have a sub-optimal response to anti-VEGF therapy.
By successfully developing THR-149 and THR-687, two novel and complimentary drug candidates that could offer improved therapeutic options beyond anti-VGEFs, we believe we are positioned to build an industry leading DME franchise. We are confident that creating this franchise will deliver significant benefits to nearly all DME patients globally and will, in parallel, generate attractive returns for our shareholders.'
Diabetic Macular Edema -
Diabetic macular edema (DME) is a complication of diabetes caused by fluid accumulation in the macula (central part of the retina), due to leaking blood vessels, leading to swelling of the macular area due to the increased permeability of the vessels.
DME is a result of another complication of diabetes, called diabetic retinopathy (DR), in which blood vessels in the eye are damaged, allowing fluid to escape. DR is the presence and characteristic evolution of typical retinal microvascular lesions in an individual with diabetes. DR is a chronic, progressive, sight-threatening, and life-altering disease, and is the leading cause of vision loss in working-age adults (20-65 years).
DME, which is a consequence of DR, can occur at any stage in the development of DR. More than one in three people living with diabetes will develop some form of DR in their lifetime, and a third of those will have some vision-threatening form of the disease such as DME.
DR and DME are a growing public health concern due to the rapid growth in the number of people with diabetes globally.
An estimated 37.8 million people have been diagnosed with diabetes in
The prevalence of DME was estimated to be 2.8 million people in the US, EU5 and
The market for DME therapies is dominated by anti-VEGFs, which are the current standard of care. However, anti-VEGFs have been shown to deliver sub-optimal results in a significant portion of the patient population. Around 40% of DME patients have an unsatisfactory early visual response with anti-VEGF therapy, and in many cases anti-VEGFs fail to achieve a clinically meaningful visual improvement.
Contact:
Tel: +32 16 75 13 10
Email: wouter.piepers@oxurion.com
About
THR-149 has shown positive topline Phase 1 results for the treatment of DME. The Company is currently conducting a Phase 2 clinical trial evaluating THR-149 with DME-patients who previously responded sub-optimally to anti-VEGF therapy.
THR-149 was developed in conjunction with
THR-687, is a pan-RGD integrin inhibitor, that is initially being developed as a potential new standard of care for all DME patients Positive topline results in a Phase 1 clinical study assessing it as a treatment for DME were announced in
THR-687 is an optimized compound derived from a broader library of integrin inhibitors in-licensed from
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