CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--KalVista Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: KALV), a clinical stage pharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development, and commercialization of small molecule protease inhibitors, today announced data in support of the Company’s development activities in diabetic macular edema (DME) from an oral presentation at The Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) 2018 Annual Meeting in Honolulu, Hawaii.
“Our findings are consistent with our belief that oral plasma kallikrein inhibitors may provide an opportunity to reduce the edematous effects of VEGF in diabetic macular edema patients,” said Andrew Crockett, Chief Executive Officer of KalVista. “We continue to evaluate potential oral compounds for treatment of diabetic macular edema in our preclinical research while our intravitreal compound for DME, KVD001, enrolls a Phase 2 clinical trial.”
The study investigated the effects of an orally administered plasma kallikrein inhibitor KV123833 on VEGF-induced retinal edema in mice. KV123833 is a novel, potent, and highly selective plasma kallikrein inhibitor with a 3nM Ki for plasma kallikrein and selectivity of 1000-fold over related serine proteases. In the study, KV123833 was administered both subcutaneously and orally, to evaluate the comparative efficacy of both routes of administration. Efficacious plasma exposure of drug for both subcutaneous administration and oral dosing experiments was confirmed using an ex vivo plasma kallikrein activity. Retinal exposure following systemic administration of KV123833 was about 0.6 ng/mg retinal tissue and intravitreal injection of VEGF increased drug concentrations in the retina by 2-fold (p=0.038). VEGF-induced retinal vascular permeability in mice was decreased by 85% (p=0.0076) and 86% (p=0.028) in mice receiving subcutaneous administration and orally administered KV123833, respectively. These data demonstrate that orally administered KV123833 is highly effective in reducing VEGF-induced retinal edema in mice, and displays similar efficacy to subcutaneous administration.
About KalVista Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
KalVista
Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a pharmaceutical company focused on the
discovery, development, and commercialization of small molecule protease
inhibitors for diseases with significant unmet need. The initial focus
is on inhibitors of plasma kallikrein, which is an important component
of the body’s inflammatory response and which, in excess, can lead to
increased vascular permeability, edema and inflammation. KalVista has
developed a proprietary portfolio of novel, small molecule plasma
kallikrein inhibitors initially targeting hereditary angioedema (HAE)
and diabetic macular edema (DME). The Company has created a structurally
diverse portfolio of oral plasma kallikrein inhibitors and is advancing
multiple drug candidates into Phase 1 clinical trials for HAE.
KalVista’s most advanced program, an intravitreally administered plasma
kallikrein inhibitor known as KVD001, has successfully completed its
first-in-human study in patients with DME and began a Phase 2 clinical
trial in 2017.
For more information, please visit www.kalvista.com.
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