Novel AMD drug being tested on 15 patients

Redwood City, CA-The first of 15 patients has received CGC-11047, a novel poly-amine analog that targets choroidal neovascularization associated with age-related macular degeneration.

The drug, in a phase I dose-escalation study, is designed to halt cell growth and induce apoptosis by displacing certain cell components from their natural binding sites and preventing cell replication. The drug has demonstrated an ability to suppress the growth of vascular lesions under the retina and to cause a regression in neovascular swelling and leakage.

A total of 15 patients will be treated subconjunctivally, avoiding the need to inject into the eye, in cohorts of escalating doses. The study's primary investigator is Peter Campochiaro, MD, professor of ophthalmology, the Wilmer Eye Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore.