OKYO - Dry Eye Disease Impacts 49 Million Americans And Disproportionately Affects Women But Current Treatments Aren't Fully Effective – OKYO Pharma's Drug Candidate Could Be The Solution
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By David Willey, Benzinga
An eye condition thathas been described as a common disease currently affects as many as 49 millionAmericans . Dry Eye Disease (DED) afflicts over 15% ofAmericans over 50 and disproportionately affects women and DEDpatients are not well served by currently approved drugs. It’sconcerning facts like these that inspired the biopharmaceuticalcompany OKYO Pharma Ltd. (NASDAQ: OKYO) to develop a drug thatcan help the millions suffering from DED.
DED, a condition often associated with aging,is caused when a tear film dysfunction means tears are unable to provideadequate lubrication for the eyes. Symptoms include a scratchysensation in the eyes, light sensitivity, blurry vision, and eyesightfatigue. DED can also cause ocular pain from damage to the surface ofthe eye, and the market surrounding DED treatment is currently worth over$5 billion .
DED incidence in the US hasbeen increasing , and there are also extrinsic factors thatcould be behind the increasing rate of DED in America. As thepopulation ages, the number of people most at risk for DED increases,and lifestyle choices like contact lenses and heavy bluelight exposure contribute to dry eyes and eventual oculardamage.
DED is achronic condition, meaning treatments need to be suitable forlong-term use, but the drugs currently available on the market don’tappear to be filling this need. Some like Eysuvis have seen successbut are strictly a short-term treatment, while others, includingRestasis, Xiidra, and Cequa, have discomforting side effects whichlead large numbers of patients to not refill theirprescriptions.
Now, OKYO Pharma islooking to bring real solutions to people suffering from DED throughthe novel drug it is currently developing, OK-101, which isadministered topically as eye drops. The drug’s anti-inflammatoryactivity treats DED while pain-reducing activity alleviatesDED-associated ocular pain.
Solving Inflammation And OcularPain
OKYO Pharmais a London-based drug development company that is looking to bring anew drug to the market. Though drug development is a notoriously slowprocess, OKYO’s novel OK-101 treatment is seeing rapid developmentthat may get it to market in record time.
The team is led by Dr. Gary Jacob, CEO of OKYOPharma and director of the drug’s development. Dr. Jacob is a drugdevelopment veteran with a proven record, as he has already developedand brought to market two Federal Drug Administration (FDA)-approveddrugs. Also on the team is Dr. Raj Patil, Chief Scientific Officer whohas expertise and years of experience in ophthalmology drugdevelopment.
Focus is often what separates success from failure in thebiotech space, with companies failing when they try to cast their nettoo wide. On the other hand, OKYO Pharma is laser-focused on thedevelopment of its drug OK-101 for DED treatment, and it will becollecting data from its clinical trials that are starting soon. Infact, OKYO received FDA approval to skip its phase one trial and jumpstraight to its phase two efficacy trials, with the possibility of anaccelerated regulatory submission.
Pre-clinical animal data indicate that OK-101reduces both inflammation of the eye and the corneal neuropathic painwhich results from nerve damage to the eye caused by DED. Therecurrently isn’t a topical treatment for ocular pain approved by theFDA, which is another reason OKYO Pharma is excited to move ahead withthe trials for OK-101.
Similar companies in the market include AldeyraTherapeutics (NASDAQ: ALDX) and Tarsus Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: TARS), both of which have a market cap of around $400million.
Want tolearn more about what OKYO Pharma is doing to tackle DED and other eyediseases? Visit itswebsite .
This article was originally published on Benzinga here .
OKYOPharma Limited (LSE: OKYO; NASDAQ: OKYO) is a life sciences companyadmitted to listing on NASDAQ and on the standard segment of theOfficial List of the UK Financial Conduct Authority and to trading onthe main market for listed securities of London Stock Exchange plc.OKYO is focusing on the discovery and development of novel moleculesto treat inflammatory dry eye diseases and chronicpain.
Certain statements made in this announcement areforward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are nothistorical facts but rather are based on the Company’s currentexpectations, estimates, and projections about its industry; itsbeliefs; and assumptions. Words such as ‘anticipates,’‘expects,’ ‘intends,’ ‘plans,’ ‘believes,’‘seeks,’ ‘estimates,’ and similar expressions are intended toidentify forward-looking statements. These statements are notguarantees of future performance and are subject to known and unknownrisks, uncertainties, and other factors, some of which are beyond theCompany’s control, are difficult to predict, and could cause actualresults to differ materially from those expressed or forecasted in theforward-looking statements. The Company cautions security holders andprospective security holders not to place undue reliance on theseforward-looking statements, which reflect the view of the Company onlyas of the date of this announcement. The forward-looking statementsmade in this announcement relate only to events as of the date onwhich the statements are made. The Company will not undertake anyobligation to release publicly any revisions or updates to theseforward-looking statements to reflect events, circumstances, orunanticipated events occurring after the date of this announcementexcept as required by law or by any appropriate regulatoryauthority.
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