SARcode's SAR 1118 Phase 2 data against dry eye to be presented at ARVO meeting

SARcode Corporation announced today that clinical data for their lead compound, SAR 1118, has been accepted for presentation during the upcoming Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) Annual Meeting being held May 1–May 5, 2011, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.  SAR 1118 is an investigational novel small-molecule topical therapy that inhibits T-cell mediated inflammation, a key component of dry eye syndrome.  

The presentation, entitled "A Phase 2 Multicenter, Double-masked, Placebo-controlled Study of a Novel Lymphocyte Function-associated Antigen-1 (LFA-1) Antagonist (SAR 1118) for the Treatment of Dry Eye" (Program #2823, Poster #D956), will be presented on Tuesday, May 3, from 3:45 pm to 5:30 pm in Hall B/C by Charles Semba, MD, Chief Medical Officer of SARcode.  The study met approvable endpoints in both signs and symptoms when treating dry eye subjects over a 12-week period. SAR 1118 demonstrated dose-dependent improvements, including tear production, as early as 2 weeks(p<0.05). The study showed significant improvements(p<0.05) in fluorescein corneal staining and the Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI) score, a validated instrument designed to measure the impact of dry eye disease on visual functioning and vision-related quality of life.   SAR 1118 appears safe and well-tolerated with no serious ocular adverse events reported.  Most ocular adverse events were transient and related to initial instillation.

"We are very excited to share the SAR 1118 data with the ophthalmic community, especially because of the rapid onset of action at 2 weeks and the ability to improve a clinical sign and patient-reported symptoms, in this case visual function and quality of life," said Quinton Oswald, Chief Executive Officer of SARcode.  "There is currently no dry eye therapy indicated for improvement of a symptom.  Since dry eye disease can substantially decrease quality of life and ability to function, we are thrilled to move this promising agent forward into Phase 3 trials."