CS Pharmaceuticals (CSP) has acquired AxeroVision, a company developing novel therapies for the treatment of dry eye disease (DED) and other ophthalmic inflammatory diseases that address the underlying inflammatory processes.
Darren Mercer, Chief Executive of CSP, said: “We are thrilled to acquire AxeroVision, and in particular the pipeline product AXR-270 which contains a novel selective glucocorticoid receptor agonist formulated in a cutting-edge drug delivery system that overcomes the issues of poor compliance and inefficient delivery of conventional eye drops.
“On the basis of the very unique product features and strong Phase II clinical data, we strongly believe that AXR-270 will provide huge clinical benefits to patients. Having secured the global rights we will now seek a partner for ex-China rights to collaborate with, in the development of AXR-270 for the USA, Europe and other markets.”
AXR-270 is formulated into a cream that is applied once daily to the eyelid, from where the drug is absorbed into the meibomian gland, and forms a depot that is delivered to the surface of the eye every time the patient blinks.
This results in ten to 100 times higher concentration of drug in the ocular tissues compared to drops, and also avoids the problems of drug being lost due to tearing, or patients forgetting to follow the four times daily dosing instructions which are typical of such products.
The AXR-270 product contains a novel selective glucocorticoid receptor agonist, and following the acquisition CSP has exclusive rights to use the molecule in ophthalmology. Phase II clinical study results in patients with posterior blepharitis and dry eye disease due to meibomian gland dysfunction show improvements in Visual Analogue Scale for eye discomfort at one week after starting treatment and statistically significant and clinically meaningful differences from placebo after three weeks of treatment.
Edited by: Diana Spencer, Senior Digital Content Editor, Drug Discovery World
