Nov 13 2013
Kala Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a leading developer of innovative products that enhance penetration of therapeutic agents into ocular tissue, announced today the presentation of data on its Mucus Penetrating Particles (MPPs) at the 2013 American Association of Pharmaceutical Sciences mini-symposium on Novel Delivery Methods for Topical Ophthalmics, held November 12, 2013 in San Antonio, Texas.
In a presentation entitled, “Mucus-Penetrating Particles for Enhanced Ophthalmic Delivery,” Kala researchers describe preclinical results demonstrating the ability of Kala’s proprietary Mucus-Penetrating Particle (MPP) technology platform to develop drug-loaded nanoparticles that uniquely penetrate mucus secretions to improve drug distribution at mucosal surfaces and facilitate drug release directly to underlying tissues.
“Kala is leveraging its novel MPP technology to develop a broad pipeline of innovative product candidates for both front and back of the eye disease,” said Guillaume Pfefer, Ph.D., Kala’s CEO. “These data demonstrate the ability of our most advanced product candidate, a high dose MPP powered loteprednol etabonate (1% LE-MPP) in development for the treatment of post-surgical ocular inflammation and pain, to extend to an unprecedented level drug exposure at the site of action. These results further reinforce the breakthrough nature of Kala’s proprietary MPP technology for a broad range of ocular diseases.”
About Kala Pharmaceuticals
Kala Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is advancing innovative treatments for ocular diseases addressing significant unmet needs in both front and back of the eye based on the Company’s proprietary Mucus Penetrating Particle (MPP) technology. Kala’s topical ocular MPP formulations enhance penetration of diverse therapeutic agents into ocular tissue, including those in the back of the eye, by facilitating penetration through the mucus layer of tear film. Kala’s product development pipeline includes: a 1% formulation of loteprednol etabonate (1% LE-MPP) to treat post-surgical ocular inflammation and pain, expected to enter a pivotal clinical study in 2014; a 0.25% LE-MPP formulation for dry eye, blepharitis, and retinal disease, expected to enter clinical trials in 2014, and a topically applied receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor (RTKi-MPP) for the treatment of wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD), which is advancing toward selection of a clinical candidate in 2014.
Kala’s approach to penetrating mucus layers also has potential application in other disease areas, such as respiratory, female reproductive tract, and gastrointestinal diseases, and in these areas the Company will seek partners to out-license its breakthrough technology. Kala was founded by leaders in the fields of nanomedicine and biopharmaceutical engineering, maintains an esteemed group of advisors including co-founder and MIT professor Dr. Robert Langer, and is backed by leading investors including Lux Capital, Polaris Venture Partners, Third Rock Ventures, and Crown Venture Fund, LLC.
Source: http://www.kalarx.com/