Acucela announces publication of preclinical data for emixustat

Acucela, a clinical-stage biotechnology company that specialises in discovering and developing novel drug candidates to potentially treat and slow the progression of sight-threatening ophthalmic diseases, has announced the publication of preclinical data related to the Company’s investigational drug candidate emixustat hydrochloride (emixustat).

Emixustat has been formulated for oral administration and is currently being investigated in a multi-center Phase 2b/3 clinical trial to evaluate safety and efficacy in patients with geographic atrophy (GA) associated with dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

Emixustat shown to protect photoreceptors from light-mediated damage

Authors of the paper, published in PLOS ONE, provide biochemical and electrophysiological data in mouse models of retinal disease to show that emixustat produces a dose-dependent reversible suppression of both visual chromophore biosynthesis and rod photoreceptor activity. In these models, emixustat treatment was shown to protect photoreceptors from light-mediated damage, reduce levels of toxic retinal fluorophores such as A2E and preserve the retinal vasculature during periods of hypoxia. The authors note that these findings could be relevant for the development of potential treatments for certain degenerative retinal diseases.

Ryo Kubota MD PhD and Chairman President and CEO of Acucela Inc. said “I am gratified that our preclinical data are now published in the journal PLOS ONE. We are fully committed to visual cycle modulation as an important part of our research.”