Ophthalmology
Grifols is also investigating the potential of small molecules to block the action of detrimental plasma proteins to treat neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD), the leading cause of blindness in people over the age of 60 in developed countries.
Furthermore, the company is collaborating with Selagine, Inc., to investigate the use of immunoglobulin eye drops in treating dry eye disease (DED), a condition affecting more than 100 million people globally. In a pilot phase 1/phase 2 clinical trial, Selagine treated subjects with eye drops based on Grifols Flebogamma DIF® twice daily for eight weeks and secured a significant reduction in the signs and symptoms of DED, and with no difference in tolerability or adverse events. This line of research contends that the broad-spectrum anti-inflammatory actions of an ocular surface immunoglobulin are superior to currently approved therapies, which are narrow spectrum and limited mainly to targeting T-cell inflammatory mechanism.
Our small molecule in development is an oral pill, AKST4290, which blocks the activity of a key circulating inflammatory protein called eotaxin, elevated in people with aging-related diseases.3
In a Phase 2 study in patients with nAMD treated with oral AKST4290, there was improvement in best corrected visual acuity, similar to the standard of care.