New Drug Discovery May Treat Macular Degeneration and More

Researchers have made a new drug discovery that brings hope for early treatment of the leading causes of blindness. In addition, a company founded on that research is headed to market.

A study led by the University of California – Irvine, (UCI) found that small-molecule drugs offer the potential to treat macular degeneration (AMD), diabetic retinopathy (DR), and retinitis pigmentosa (RP).

Over 350 million people worldwide suffer from AMD or DR. Both diseases are prevalent in older adults. There is no effective treatment for almost 90 percent of those cases.

Cost of AMD

A study published in October by the Foundation Fighting Blindness (FFB) found that the “total economic impact of late-stage AMD” is $49.1 billion in the United States alone. Most of that is made up of lost worker productivity.

The FFB report found that 26 percent of AMD sufferers lost their jobs due to the disease while 55 percent experienced job reduction. Consequently, 15 percent of those caring for AMD suffers had to quit or reduce employment.

Late-stage or wet AMD can be treated with multiple injections. However, at $2,000 or more per injection, that treatment is costly. As a result, a new drug discovery could save patients tens of thousands of dollars.

“Visual impairment in older adults leads to functional limitation, poor psychological health, challenges in the management of medication, worse overall health outcomes, and increased health care spending,” Avril Daily, CEO of Retina International told FFB.

SREDs

The new drug discovery in the UCI study is the use of Stress Resilience-Enhancing Drugs (SHREDs). These medications are used to treat neurodegenerative conditions.

SREDs were shown to aid the resilience of degenerating retina in combating acute and chronic stress. As a result, tissue structure and function were preserved in multiple models of age-related or inherited retinal disease.

“SREDs represent a promising strategy for patients and clinicians to combat disease in earlier stages with superior efficacy over the current standard of care,” said Jennings Luu, MD, Ph.D., lead author of the UCI study.

New Drug Discovery Headed to Market

Luu and Krzysztof Palczewski, Ph.D., corresponding author of the UCI study, have turned their work into a business.

They founded Hyperion Therapeutics, a seed-stage pharmaceutical company. The firm plans to bring new therapeutics, such as those developed in their research, to the commercial market.

If they succeed, their company will enter a growing segment. The AMD treatment market totaled $8.9 billion last year, according to research firm imarc. That is expected to grow at a rate of 6.2 percent reaching $12.9 billion by 2028.

Although their work has centered on the treatment of ADM and other progressive eye diseases, Luu sees even greater potential.

“Ultimately, it is our expectation that SREDs will someday serve as a standard of care for human aging,” said Luu, “effectively providing patients the means to diminish suffering from debilitating ailments for which there currently exist no viable therapeutic options, thereby extending human lifespan and healthspan irrespective of disease etiology.”

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Max Erkiletian

Max K. Erkiletian began writing for newspapers while still in high school. He went on to become an award-winning journalist and co-founder of the print magazine Free Bird. He has written for a wide range of regional and national publications as well as many on-line publications. That has afforded him the opportunity to interview a variety of prominent figures from former Chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank Paul Volker to Blues musicians Muddy Waters and B. B. King. Max lives in Springfield, MO with his wife Karen and their cat – Pudge. He spends as much time as possible with his kids, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.