Verseon Corporation Verseon showcases oral DME candidates at BIO 2019
June 04 2019 - 1:00AM
RNS Non-Regulatory
TIDMVERS
Verseon Corporation
04 June 2019
RNS Reach June 4, 2019
Verseon Corporation
("Verseon" or the "Company")
Verseon showcases candidates for next-generation diabetic eye
disease drugs
Oral drugs could provide a much-needed alternative to current
eye injections
Fremont, Calif.-Verseon is developing the first oral medication
for diabetic macular edema (DME). These drug candidates could
become a real alternative to eye injections, the current standard
of care for millions of diabetics at risk of vision loss. At this
week's 2019 BIO International Convention in Philadelphia, the
Company presented their lead oral drug candidates.
DME, a leading cause of adult blindness, is a complication of
diabetes with over 20 million diagnosed patients worldwide. It is
estimated that about one third of long-term diabetic patients are
at risk of developing DME, a group that is expected to grow
significantly as the global diabetic population escalates from
roughly 425 million to over 600 million over the next 25 years.
The current standard of care for DME are recurring injections
into the eye associated with discomfort, infection, and
inflammation, and that are only effective in about half of
patients. Given the risk profile and invasiveness of
administration, these drugs are not appropriate for preventative
treatment in chronic diabetics at risk. There is a large unmet need
for better medications for treating, and ideally preventing, DME.
Verseon's oral DME program is aimed at meeting this need.
To address this problem, Verseon is developing the first oral
medications for DME. At the BIO International Convention, Dr.
Anirban Datta, Verseon's Senior Director of Discovery Biology,
presented preclinical data on the Company's first development
candidate for clinical trials.
Verseon's drug candidates target plasma kallikrein, a central
mediator of the disease that is not covered by current drugs. In
preclinical studies, these compounds have demonstrated excellent
oral bioavailability and successfully inhibited both retinal
thickening and retinal vascular leakage, two hallmarks of DME. This
combination makes them promising candidates for a new generation of
oral DME drugs that could potentially open up a $96 billion annual
global market for treatment and prophylaxis.
"Our oral development candidate has the potential to redefine
how DME is treated," said Dr. Datta. "Not only could it replace
inconvenient eye injections, but it may even become the first-ever
drug to help prevent the onset of DME. Ultimately, we're aiming to
stop vision loss before it starts."
About Verseon's diabetic macular edema program
Verseon has developed a new class of potent, selective
small-molecule plasma kallikrein inhibitors for the treatment of
diabetic macular edema (DME), a major cause of adult blindness. In
contrast to current customary DME treatments that are administered
as recurring eye injections, Verseon develops drug candidates for
oral dosing. Several lead candidates have demonstrated efficacy in
reducing retinal thickening and retinal vascular leakage, two
hallmarks of the disease, when administered orally. The Company is
currently preparing a first DME development candidate for phase 1
trials.
About Verseon
Verseon Corporation (www.verseon.com, AIM:VERS) is developing
disruptive life-science technology to advance global health. The
clinical-stage company is using its proprietary, computational drug
discovery platform to discover new drug candidates that are
unlikely to be found using conventional methods. Pairing its
computational platform with a comprehensive in-house chemistry and
biology workflow, the company has built a growing pipeline of drug
programs. Verseon currently has four active drug programs in the
areas of anticoagulation (currently in phase 1), diabetic macular
edema, hereditary angioedema, and oncology.
Find Verseon on Twitter and LinkedIn.
-Ends-
For further information, please contact
Verseon Corporation www.verseon.com
Sebastian Wykeham / Tina Schlafly +1 (510) 225 9000
Arden Partners (NOMAD and Joint Broker)
+44 (0) 20 7614
Ruari McGirr / Ciaran Walsh 5900
Cantor Fitzgerald Europe (Joint Broker)
+44 (0) 20 7894
Phil Davies 7000
For financial and business media enquiries, please contact
Buchanan Communications Ltd (PR Advisers)
+44 (0) 20 7466
Henry Harrison-Topham / Jamie Hooper 5000
For trade and pharma media enquiries, please contact
Vane Percy & Roberts
+44 (0) 1737 821
Simon Vane Percy 890
This information is provided by RNS, the news service of the
London Stock Exchange. RNS is approved by the Financial Conduct
Authority to act as a Primary Information Provider in the United
Kingdom. Terms and conditions relating to the use and distribution
of this information may apply. For further information, please
contact rns@lseg.com or visit www.rns.com.
END
NRAUGUMPQUPBPGW
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
June 04, 2019 02:00 ET (06:00 GMT)
Verseon (LSE:VERS)
Historical Stock Chart
From Mar 2024 to Apr 2024
Verseon (LSE:VERS)
Historical Stock Chart
From Apr 2023 to Apr 2024