OKYO Pharma Receives FDA Approval of IND for OK-101 in Neuropathic Corneal Pain

• OK-101 is the first IND clearance granted by FDA for a drug to begin clinical studies specifically to treat patients suffering with neuropathic corneal pain (NCP), a major unmet medical need
• The initial trial of OK-101 to treat NCP is designed as a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-masked Phase 2 clinical trial and is planned to begin in 2Q 2024
• NCP is an Orphan disease as listed in the National Organization for Rare Disorders

LONDON and NEW YORK, Feb. 09, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- OKYO Pharma Limited (NASDAQ: OKYO), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing innovative ocular therapies for the treatment of inflammatory dry eye disease (DED), a multi-billion-dollar market, and for neuropathic corneal pain (NCP), an ocular condition associated with pain but without an FDA approved therapy, announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has cleared OK-101 as its first Investigational New Drug (IND) application for the treatment of NCP.

Notably, the initial IND submission to FDA proposed an open-label design for the clinical trial. Based on positive feedback from FDA, the Phase 2 study is now designed as a double-masked, randomized, 12-week placebo-controlled trial comparing OK-101 to placebo in NCP patients. A total of 54 patients are planned for the study, with NCP disease confirmed via confocal microscopy. The primary endpoint will be measured utilizing VAS pain relief scores. These protocol changes will enable a statistically valid demonstration of a true drug effect of OK-101 on NCP symptoms. OKYO Pharma is scheduling this trial to begin in Q2 2024.

The OK-101 trial, designed as a single-center trial, will be led by Pedram Hamrah, MD, of Tufts Medical Center, as Principal Investigator. Dr. Hamrah is Professor and Vice Chair of Research and Academic Programs, Co-Director of the Cornea Service and Director of the Center for Translational Ocular Immunology at Tufts Medical Center. An ophthalmologist and a clinician-scientist, Dr. Hamrah is a leading expert in NCP and co-inventor on the OK-101 patent. He is also a member of OKYO’s Scientific Advisory Board.

“I am very pleased that we have gained FDA IND clearance for the first drug to be tested for NCP, a debilitating disease,” said Dr. Hamrah. “Receiving the IND clearance in an important and novel indication was not a trivial hurdle to overcome. Now that the path has been opened for drugs to be tested in NCP, I am looking forward to working with the OKYO team to launch this important trial.”