Small molecules for inflammatory eye diseases and chronic pain

OKYO Pharma is advancing innovative therapies for ocular conditions, particularly focusing on its lead drug candidate, OK-101, which targets both dry eye disease (DED) and neuropathic corneal pain (NCP). OK-101 is a novel chemerin receptor agonist designed to exert anti-inflammatory effects and alleviate pain associated with these conditions. The drug incorporates a lipid anchor that enhances its residence time on the ocular surface, thereby reducing washout due to tearing and blinking. This unique formulation aims to address the significant unmet medical need in the $5 billion dry eye market, where existing treatments often exhibit limited efficacy and side effects.

The company is currently conducting Phase 2 clinical trials for OK-101, having received FDA approval to bypass the initial safety trial phase due to promising preclinical data. The trials are designed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of OK-101 in patients diagnosed with DED and NCP, with the latter being a condition that currently lacks FDA-approved therapies. OK-101 has demonstrated significant potential in preclinical studies, showing improvements in corneal permeability and reductions in inflammatory markers, which are critical for restoring ocular health and patient quality of life. Through its innovative Membrane Anchored Peptide (MAP) technology, OKYO Pharma aims to deliver a long-acting therapeutic option for patients suffering from these debilitating ocular conditions.

United Kingdom

OKYO Pharma is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of novel therapeutics for the treatment of inflammatory eye diseases and chronic pain. The company's main focus is the clinical development of OK-101 to treat dry eye disease (DED).

Eye Diseases

Immune System Diseases

OKYO Pharma

Neuropathic Corneal Pain

Urcosimod is a lipid conjugated chemerin peptide agonist of the ChemR23 G-protein coupled receptor which is typically found on immune cells of the eye responsible for the inflammatory response, as well as on neurons and glial cells in the dorsal root ganglion. Urcosimod was developed using a membrane-anchored-peptide technology to produce a novel long-acting drug candidate for treating dry eye disease. Urcosimod has been shown to produce anti-inflammatory and pain-reducing activities in mouse models of dry eye disease and corneal neuropathic pain, respectively, and is designed to combat washout through the inclusion of the lipid anchor built into the drug molecule to potentially enhance the residence time of urcosimod within the ocular environment. Urcosimod showed clear statistical significance in multiple endpoints in a recently completed Phase 2, multi-center, double-masked, placebo-controlled trial to treat dry eye disease, and is presently being evaluated in a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-masked Phase 2 trial to treat 48 neuropathic corneal pain patients.

OKYO Pharma

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