Lund-based Active Biotech, a company developing innovative treatments for cancer and autoimmune diseases, announced positive preliminary results from the LION study on Monday morning. The study, which evaluates the safety, tolerability and distribution of laquinimod in eye drop form, involved patients undergoing vitreous surgery. Over a 14-day period prior to surgery, daily doses of 0,6, 1,2, or 1,8 milligrams were administered, resulting in dose-related concentrations of the drug in both the anterior chamber and vitreous.
According to Quan Dong Nguyen, professor at Byers Eye Institute and Stanford University, who led the study, it is particularly encouraging that laquinimod at low doses reaches the vitreous, a part of the eye where inflammatory processes often occur. The treatment was assessed as safe and well tolerated, with no reported dose-limiting side effects.
Presenting the results at an international congress
The results strengthen the potential of laquinimod as a future treatment for non-infectious inflammatory eye diseases. The company now plans to present the findings at the International Ocular Inflammation Society Congress in Rio de Janeiro on June 26 and is seeking a suitable partner for further clinical development.
“The potential applications of a topical formulation and delivery that reaches the vitreous and likely the posterior segments are significant and could lead to very important and novel therapeutic implications. Our talented team at Byers and Stanford is very excited about the results of the study,” said Dr. Nguyen.
The stock market received the news well on Monday, climbing almost 40 percent at the opening.
