Ocuphire Initiates ZETA-1 Phase 2 Clinical Trial Investigating APX3330 in Diabetic Retinopathy - Seite 2

APX3330 is a small molecule oral drug candidate and a first-in-class inhibitor of the transcription factor regulator Ref-1 (reduction-oxidation effector factor-1). With its novel mechanism of action, APX3330 blocks the downstream pathways regulated by Ref-1, including those involving angiogenesis (VEGF) and inflammation (NF-kB), to decrease abnormal activation of both angiogenesis and inflammatory pathways that are implicated across several ocular diseases, including diabetic retinopathy (DR), diabetic macular edema (DME), and age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

Dr. Mark R. Kelley, Professor in the Department of Pediatrics and Glick Eye Center at Indiana University School of Medicine, co-founder of the APX3330 program, and member of Ocuphire’s Medical Advisory Board stated, “APX3330, a potential first oral therapy for DR, is not only novel in its oral route of administration, but it builds on decades of studies targeting Ref-1 as an impactful way to block both angiogenesis and inflammation using a single drug candidate. It is rewarding to see APX3330 begin this Phase 2 trial in ophthalmology with the potential to offer a new treatment option for patients with retinal diseases, particularly diabetics.”

The ZETA-1 trial is a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-masked study designed to evaluate the efficacy of APX3330 to improve diabetic retinopathy over 24 weeks. The study will be conducted in up to 20 U.S. sites and is expected to enroll approximately 100 subjects with moderately-severe to severe NPDR or mild PDR in the study eye. If patients who are enrolled also have DME in their non-study eye, this eye will also be followed during the trial for potential improvement. The primary endpoint of the study will evaluate the percentage of subjects with a ≥ 2 step improvement on the Diabetic Retinopathy Severity Scale (DRSS) score. Secondary endpoints include evaluation of central subfield thickness to assess effects on diabetic macular edema, BCVA, safety and tolerability. For more information, refer to www.ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04692688.

Mina Sooch, MBA, President and CEO of Ocuphire Pharma commented, “We are very excited to advance APX3330 in the ZETA-1 Phase 2 clinical trial. Building off of 11 prior trials that have demonstrated a favorable safety and tolerability profile in over 300 oncology and hepatic patients, APX3330 has the potential to become the first oral therapy used for diabetic retinopathy. Due to its highly differentiated mechanism of action, we believe that APX3330 could also emerge as an important add-on therapy with the currently approved anti-VEGF treatments and extend the time between injections. The team at Ocuphire has now initiated all 4 clinical trials planned since its public listing last November, and we look forward to continuing enrollment and data readouts over the next 12 months.”