| |
JERSEY CITY, N.J. (April 24, 2008):
Lux Biosciences, Inc., a privately held biotechnology company
specialized in the field of ophthalmic diseases, announced today that
the company’s two lead product candidates, LX211 for the treatment of
uveitis and LX201 for the prevention of corneal transplant rejection,
will be highlighted in multiple presentations at the 2008 annual meeting
of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO). The
international meeting is being held from April 27 – May 1 in Fort
Lauderdale, Florida.
“We have made major progress in the recruitment of both the LUMINATE and
LUCIDA programs and are likely to reach important recruitment milestones
in mid-year. We credit our investigators for this timely enrollment, and
appreciate their strong interest and high motivation,” said Ulrich Grau,
Ph.D., Lux Biosciences President and Chief Executive Officer. “Both
programs address high medical needs, and are potentially important
firsts: LX211 is the first steroid sparing agent that is being developed
towards approval in sight-threatening
non-infectious uveitis, and LX201 is the first drug under development
for the prevention of rejections in cornea transplant patients.”
LX211, the oral form of a next generation calcineurin inhibitor (voclosporin),
which Lux Biosciences licensed for ophthalmic indications from
Isotechnika, Inc. in 2006, is being featured in a poster presentation on
April 28. The poster describes the design of the ongoing pivotal trial
program in different types of sight-threatening non-infectious uveitis,
by clinical investigator J.T. Rosenbaum, M.D. from the Casey Eye
Institute-OHSU, Portland, Oregon, on behalf of the international
LUMINATE Study Group. Also to be presented by Lux Biosciences and
collaborators from the National Eye Institute is a poster on April 30
demonstrating LX211’s ability to suppress anti-CD3 activated human T
cell proliferation and to successfully treat experimental autoimmune
uveitis in rats.
On April 28 Alan Sugar, MD, from the University of Michigan-Kellogg Eye
Center will give an oral presentation on behalf of the international
LUCIDA Study Group discussing the design of the pivotal trial program
for LX201. LX201 is a novel cyclosporine A-eluting, episcleral implant,
and is being studied for the prevention of corneal allograft rejection
or graft failure in patients at high risk. The LUCIDA studies are the
first prospective, randomized, placebo-controlled trials in this
indication. LX201 is also the subject of a poster presentation on April
28 by researchers from Lux Biosciences and collaborators at North
Carolina State University, the University of Missouri, Sinclair Research
Center and Contract Kinetica detailing the results of a preclinical
safety and pharmacokinetic study that support the use of the implant in
cornea transplant patients.
About Lux Biosciences
Lux Biosciences, Inc. is a privately held biotechnology company focused
on ophthalmic diseases. The company has a staged product portfolio of
potentially first-in-class therapies distinguished by their short-term
path to commercialization and potential to generate high revenue growth.
The portfolio includes:
-
Two Phase 3 clinical-stage projects
including: i) LX211, the oral formulation of a next-generation
calcineurin inhibitor (voclosporin) developed as steroid sparing
therapy for the treatment of non-infectious uveitis, and ii) LX201,
a silicone matrix ocular (episcleral) implant that steadily releases
therapeutic doses of cyclosporine A locally to the eye for the
prevention of rejection in cornea transplant recipients. Both the
LUMINATE pivotal clinical program for LX211 for the treatment of
uveitis, as well as the LUCIDA pivotal clinical program with LX201
for the prevention of corneal transplant rejection were initiated in
early 2007 and include sites in North America, Europe and India.
-
LX214, a novel topical eye drop
formulation currently in IND-enabling studies with a target date for
entry into the clinic in mid 2008. LX214 is based on Lux’
proprietary next-generation calcineurin inhibitor and is targeted
towards other chronic inflammatory diseases of the eye, most notably
dry eye syndrome, blepharitis and atopic keratoconjunctivitis.
-
Several earlier stage projects based on
proprietary product-enabling bio-erodible polymer technologies that
facilitate targeted and sustained delivery of molecules to the eye.
For more information on Lux Biosciences, please visit the company’s
website at www.luxbio.com.
###
CONTACTS:
Lux Biosciences, Inc.
Ulrich Grau, Ph.D.
+1 201 946 0221
Ulrich.grau@luxbio.com
Kureczka/Martin Associates (media)
Joan Kureczka
+1 415-821-2413
Jkureczka@comcast.net
© 2008 Lux
Biosciences, Inc. All rights reserved.
Web
Terms |
