Article

Glaucoma drug being studied by Inspire

Inspire Pharmaceuticals Inc. has initiated a phase I clinical trial of INS117548 ophthalmic solution for the treatment of glaucoma.

Key Points

Durham, NC-Inspire Pharmaceuticals Inc. has initiated a phase I clinical trial of INS117548 ophthalmic solution for the treatment of glaucoma. The placebo-controlled, dose-escalating trial is designed to evaluate the safety, tolerability, and IOP-lowering effects of the drop in approximately 60 subjects with early-stage glaucoma or ocular hypertension.

INS117548 is a Rho kinase inhibitor designed to lower IOP by disrupting the actin cytoskeleton of the trabecular meshwork. The company also has a Latrunculin B compound, INS115644, related to this platform that is in phase I clinical testing.

"We are pleased to begin clinical testing of INS117548 since it represents a novel approach to lowering IOP," said R. Kim Brazzell, PhD, Inspire's senior vice president of ophthalmic research and development. "This is an important milestone for Inspire, as it strengthens our ophthalmic pipeline in disease states with unmet medical need such as glaucoma, which is the second-leading cause of blindness in the United States."

Epinastine HCl ophthalmic solution 0.05% is a topical antihistamine with mast-cell stabilizing and anti-inflammatory activity. Inspire licenses it from Boehringer Ingelheim. Allergan Inc. developed the drug to address ocular itching associated with ocular allergies. After the drug was approved in 2003, Allergan entered into a co-promotion agreement with Inspire through which the latter company gained primary responsibility for selling, promoting, and marketing the drop in the United States.

"As [epinastine HCl ophthalmic solution 0.05%] is an important product for Inspire, we are pleased to have patent coverage . . . that extends beyond the exclusivity period granted under the Hatch-Waxman Act," said Christy L. Shaffer, PhD, president and chief executive officer of Inspire.

Newsletter

Don’t miss out—get Ophthalmology Times updates on the latest clinical advancements and expert interviews, straight to your inbox.

Related Videos
Shehzad Batliwala, DO, aka Dr. Shehz, discussed humanitarian ophthalmology and performing refractive surgery in low-resource, high-risk areas at the ASCRS Foundation Symposium.
(Image credit: Ophthalmology Times) ASCRS 2025: Advancing vitreous care with Inder Paul Singh, MD
(Image credit: Ophthalmology Times) The Residency Report: Study provides new insights into USH2A target end points
Lisa Nijm, MD, says preoperative osmolarity testing can manage patient expectations and improve surgical results at the 2025 ASCRS annual meeting
At the 2025 ASCRS Annual Meeting, Weijie Violet Lin, MD, ABO, shares highlights from a 5-year review of cross-linking complications
Maanasa Indaram, MD, is the medical director of the pediatric ophthalmology and adult strabismus division at University of California San Francisco, and spoke about corneal crosslinking (CXL) at the 2025 ASCRS annual meeting
(Image credit: Ophthalmology Times) ASCRS 2025: Taylor Strange, DO, assesses early visual outcomes with femto-created arcuate incisions in premium IOL cases
(Image credit: Ophthalmology Times) ASCRS 2025: Neda Shamie, MD, shares her early clinical experience with the Unity VCS system
Patricia Buehler, MD, MPH, founder and CEO of Osheru, talks about the Ziplyft device for noninvasive blepharoplasty at the 2025 American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons (ASCRS) annual meeting
(Image credit: Ophthalmology Times) ASCRS 2025: Bonnie An Henderson, MD, on leveraging artificial intelligence in cataract refractive surgery
© 2025 MJH Life Sciences

All rights reserved.