BERLIN, Oct. 9, 2007 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- Jerini AG (Frankfurt:JI4) announced today that its wholly-owned subsidiary, Jerini Ophthalmic, Inc., has treated the first patient in its Phase I clinical trial evaluating JSM 6427 for the treatment of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). JSM 6427 is a small molecule in development to prevent the progression of dry AMD to wet AMD, an unmet medical need affecting 600,000 patients in the United States. The Phase I trial will assess the safety of JSM 6427 in patients suffering from AMD and treat up to 36 patients with either single or repeat intravitreal doses.
"By blocking a final common pathway in the initiation and progression of wet AMD, JSM 6427 is designed to address a large at-risk population of patients," said Anthony P. Adamis, CEO and President of Jerini Ophthalmic. "To date, these patients have no FDA-approved treatments for their condition."
"Treatment of the first AMD patient represents a significant milestone for Jerini and is a confirmation of our strategy to develop novel therapeutics for patients with unmet medical needs," said Jens Schneider-Mergener, CEO of Jerini. "Jerini Ophthalmic's clinical development expertise will enable us to advance our ophthalmology programs, thereby generating significant value for Jerini."
About JSM 6427
A product of Jerini's P2D platform, JSM 6427 is the first small molecule alpha5beta1 integrin receptor antagonist of its kind to be developed. It has been biologically validated for therapeutic use in the prevention and treatment of wet AMD, the leading cause of blindness in people over the age of 55. In comparison to other therapies, JSM 6427 not only blocks angiogenesis induced by multiple growth factors such as VEGF (Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor), but also inhibits the effects of other growth factors and cytokines leading to angiogenesis, inflammation, and fibrosis. To address patient convenience as well as compliance, Jerini Ophthalmic is currently conducting preclinical tests using slow release formulations of JSM 6427 for AMD and other fibrotic eye diseases. JSM 6427 is also a promising potential drug candidate for combined use with other approved anti-VEGF therapies.
About Jerini Ophthalmic
Jerini's wholly-owned U.S. subsidiary, Jerini Ophthalmic, Inc., focuses on the rapid development of novel, highly specific therapeutics for eye diseases and extended-release formulations for chronic eye diseases. The company will further develop select compounds from Jerini's P2D technology platform, which target pathways associated with ophthalmic disease indications.
About Jerini
Jerini is a pharmaceutical company based in Berlin, Germany, focusing on the discovery, development, and commercialization of novel peptide-based drugs. The company pursues disease indications that have limited or no treatment options and has built a drug pipeline composed of its own programs, as well as others in collaboration with established partners. Jerini has completed Phase III clinical trials of Icatibant in the subcutaneous treatment of hereditary angioedema (HAE). The company's marketing authorization application has been accepted for review by the European Medicines Evaluation Agency (EMEA) and granted accelerated assessment by the agency, shortening the regulatory review period from 210 to 150 calendar days. Jerini plans to complete its US submission to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the fourth quarter of 2007. Based on its technology platform, Jerini has also established several in-house development programs, which address indications within the therapeutic areas of ophthalmology, oncology, and inflammatory disease.
ISIN: DE0006787476