Isarna Therapeutics Announces Phase 2 Clinical Data Presentations at Upcoming Ophthalmology Conferences
Isarna Therapeutics announced upcoming oral presentations at the OIS Retina Innovation Summit on May 4 and the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) meeting on May 7, both in Seattle.
Isarna’s Chief Medical Officer, Prof. Marion R. Munk, will present updated clinical data from its phase 2 BETTER study evaluating the company’s lead program, ISTH0036, an RNA-based antisense molecule that blocks the production of transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β), a leading driver of fibrosis in ophthalmic pathology. To date, the trial has reported a good safety profile for ISTH0036 and efficacy in wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and diabetic macular edema (DME) patients. The morphological data, analyzed using the AI-powered Discovery platform from RetinAI AG, showed the prevention of fibrosis and epithelial-mesenchymal transition together with a drying effect as a key differentiator to currently approved anti-angiogenic therapies, mostly targeting Vascular Endothelial Growth Factors (VEGF).
“Since the initiation of the BETTER trial, we have continued to demonstrate ISTH0036’s overall potential in targeting a key function in the disease progression of AMD and DME,” Dr. Rene Rückert, MD, MBA, COO of Isarna Therapeutics, said in a company news release. “We value the opportunity to present the recent findings from our ongoing clinical study to experts within the ophthalmology community.”
The BETTER study is a parallel, open-label, two-segment phase 2 clinical trial evaluating ISTH0036 in patients with wet AMD and DME. The study has begun investigating its primary endpoint, the reduction of retinal fluid and central macular thickness (CMT), as well as its secondary endpoint, the improvement of visual acuity (VA). Patients selected for the trials included both newly diagnosed patients and those who have already been treated with anti-VEGF therapeutics. The trial was designed in collaboration with Isarna’s expert advisory board and is currently being conducted by internationally renowned experts at clinical trial centers in Austria and India.