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Kiora Pharmaceuticals Reports First Quarter Results; Positive Clinical Data Driving Significant Progress Advancing Pipeline of Eye Disease Treatments
Encinitas, California--(Newsfile Corp. - May 9, 2023) - Kiora Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: KPRX) announced its first quarter 2023 results, during which time it
About this update from Kiora Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
[{"type":"text","content":"Encinitas, California--(Newsfile Corp. - May 9, 2023) - Kiora Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: KPRX) announced its first quarter 2023 results, during which time it significantly advanced its ocular drug development pipeline of clinical-stage candidates for the treatment of Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP), Persistent Corneal Epithelial Defects (PCEDs), and the Ocular Presentation of Rheumatoid Arthritis (OPRA).\nCEO Commentary\n\"This has been a pivotal quarter for our business resulting in several recently reported clinical development milestones,\" said Brian M. Strem, Ph.D., president and CEO of Kiora. \"Last month we reported preliminary results from our open-label study of KIO-301, our flagship asset, demonstrating profound improvements in light perception in a blind patient with RP. Importantly, the patient reported functional improvements consistent with objective functional MRI imaging results, showing elevated activity in regions of the brain activated by vision. Predictably, this activity diminished over time, consistent with our preclinical models, where the effect increases after dosing, continues to peak, and returns to baseline as the drug is eliminated. We are extremely encouraged by the early results from the low dose of 7.5 µg. Additionally, we have fully enrolled the study and look forward to completing dosing in the higher dose groups of 25 µg and 50 µg and reporting topline results on the full study by the end of this year.\n\"Continuing the progress, we reported favorable and statistically significant outcomes from our Phase 2 clinical trial of KIO-201, evaluating its ability to accelerate wound healing after four weeks of therapy in patients with chronic, non-healing wounds on the ocular surface. If left untreated, these wounds can lead to infection, scarring, and vision loss. Notably, five out of eight patients achieved the primary endpoint at four weeks. The adverse event profile was also favorable to the advancement of this therapeutic candidate. These results, consistent with the five previous clinical trials evaluating KIO-201 in other corneal wounds, lay the foundation for planning and initiating a registration study in the U.S.\n\"Lastly, in mid-April we enrolled the first patient in our Phase 2 trial of KIO-101. This indication focuses on a narrowly defined population of patients who suffer from ocular surface dis...