Chinese firms to develop eye disease treatment
Shenzhen Relin and MingSight join forces to develop MS-553
Shenzhen Relin Medicine, a Chinese ophthalmic pharmaceutical company, and MingSight Pharmaceuticals, an ophthalmic r&d company, have formed a joint venture to develop a treatment for diabetic eye disease in China.
Jiangsu MingSight-Relin Pharmaceutical Co will develop MS-553 as an oral therapy for diabetic retinopathy.
MingSight-Relin acquired the exclusive rights in China to MS-553 from MingSight, which previously in-licensed the compound from Pfizer.
‘MS-553 has demonstrated an excellent potency and safety profile in extensive preclinical studies previously conducted by Pfizer,’ said Xintao Xia, general manager of Relin. ‘This solid preclinical data forms the basis of our decision to undertake this project.’
Michael Niesman, chief scientific officer of MingSight, added: ‘MS-553 is unusual because when it is given orally, it achieves a high concentration in the retina.
‘It has shown excellent efficacy and safety in preclinical studies. An effective and safe oral treatment for diabetic eye disease will be a significant advance for patients, potentially allowing them to avoid invasive therapies that often are given by injections into the eye.’
A management team combined from both companies will manage the joint venture. Financial details were not disclosed.
Diabetic retinopathy is one of the most common complications of diabetes and the leading cause of blindness among working adults in the US.
In China, the disease burden is even larger with an estimated number of 92 million diabetics, many with diabetic eye disease.
