Exonate has begun a 48-patient clinical trial of its EXN407 drops for diabetic macular oedema (DMO), hoping they will eventually supplant intravitreal anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) therapy injections.
Professor David Bates, scientific founder of Exonate, said, “It is a credit to many people that this complex and potentially game-changing therapy has reached first-in-human studies. This has been an immense team effort from the original lab discovery work at the universities of Bristol, New South Wales and Nottingham to the development of the pre-clinical and clinical programmes by the Exonate team, our contractors and collaborators. We look forward to learning the study’s results in due course.”
The phase Ib/II clinical trial to evaluate the drops’ safety and efficacy in reducing retinal thickness associated with DMO started last month in retinal centres across Australia, with initial results expected in early 2022. Pre-clinical studies have demonstrated an effect on neovascularisation and retinal vascular permeability induced by diabetes, without any significant tolerability or safety issues.
