OcuCure Therapeutics, Inc.

The present study is intended to evaluate the efficacy and safety of topical OC-10X Ophthalmic Suspension in patients diagnosed with proliferative diabetic retinopathy (level 61, 65, 71, or 75). OcuCure Therapeutics, Inc. (Roanoke, VA) has developed a lead compound, known as OC-10X, which is a selective tubulin inhibitor under development for the treatment of Proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy (PDR) and Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD). When administered as a topical eye drop, OC-10X has both anti-angiogenic (inhibition) and angiolytic (regression) properties in animal models of choroidal neovascularization (CNV). Unlike other therapies, OC-10X provides the efficacy of a vascular targeting agent without the traditional toxicity and works downstream independently of growth factors. As demonstrated by OcuCure's preclinical data, tubulin inhibition, using OC-10X, may be a promising new approach to the treatment of PDR and AMD. Like AMD, PDR is a major cause of blindness in adults and is also caused by the growth of abnormal blood vessels. Importantly, the Phase I Study found that OC-10X can be safely applied topically in human eyes without adverse ocular or systemic effects.
Currently, there are few options for the treatment of PDR. Clinical options, such as laser photocoagulation or vitrectomy, require surgery and can permanently impair patients' vision. With few treatment options available, administration of OC-10X as a topical therapy, along with its novel mechanism, has the potential to provide benefits to patients with ocular diseases associated with angiogenesis.

The present study is intended to evaluate the safety and tolerability of topical OC-10X Ophthalmic Suspension in healthy human subjects. OcuCure Therapeutics, Inc. (Roanoke, VA) has developed a lead compound, known as OC-10X, which is a selective tubulin inhibitor under development for the treatment of Proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy (PDR) and Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD). When administered as a topical eye drop, OC-10X has demonstrated both anti-angiogenic (inhibition) and angiolytic (regression) properties in animal models of AMD. Unlike other therapies, OC-10X provides the efficacy of a vascular targeting agent without the traditional toxicity and works downstream independently of growth factors. As demonstrated by OcuCure's preclinical data, tubulin inhibition using OC-10X has promise as a new therapeutic approach. PDR is a major cause of blindness in adults and is also caused by the growth of abnormal blood vessels. These new blood vessels are fragile and may hemorrhage into the vitreous. PDR affects up to 80% of all diabetics who have had diabetes for 15 years or more. If administration of OC-10X is well tolerated as a topical eye drop and is well tolerated systemically, then OC-10X will have the potential to provide benefits to patients with ocular diseases associated with angiogenesis.