A New Vision for Treating Eye Pain: OKYO Pharma Initiates Phase 2 Trial of OK-101 for Neuropathic Corneal Pain
OKYO Pharma Limited (NASDAQ: OKYO), a leader in the development of novel ophthalmic therapies, saw its shares surge 22% after announcing it is set to commence a Phase 2 clinical trial for its innovative drug, OK-101, targeting neuropathic corneal pain (NCP). This trial marks a significant step as OK-101 is believed to be the first drug to receive FDA IND clearance specifically for NCP—a severe and debilitating condition.
Key Highlights:
- The trial is a randomized, double-masked, placebo-controlled study set to begin in Q3, 2024.
- It will be conducted at a single-center and led by Dr. Pedram Hamrah at Tufts Medical Center.
- A total of 48 patients diagnosed with NCP by confocal microscopy will be enrolled for this 12-week study, with pain improvement as the primary endpoint measured by the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS).
Dr. Gary S. Jacob, CEO of OKYO, is encouraged stating: “We believe that OK-101 is the first NCP drug candidate to have received FDA IND clearance for clinical evaluation and are pleased to be making rapid progress to advance the NCP program while working to refine the study design for our upcoming trial in DED. The favorable improvements in ocular pain in dry eye patients, a percentage of whom suffer from NCP, along with the impressive results from a preclinical model of NCP are encouraging signs as we look for a positive result in this upcoming Phase 2 trial in NCP.”
About OKYO OKYO Pharma Limited (NASDAQ: OKYO) is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company developing innovative therapies for the treatment of DED and NCP, with ordinary shares listed for trading on the NASDAQ Capital Market. OKYO is focused on the discovery and development of novel molecules to treat inflammatory DED and ocular pain. In addition to the recently completed Phase 2 DED trial, OKYO also has plans underway for the opening of a Phase 2 trial for OK-101 to treat NCP in patients with this debilitating condition. For further information, please visit www.okyopharma.com .
