Jerini Announces Establishment of Wholly-Owned US Subsidiary Aimed at Developing Treatments for Eye Diseases
- Details
- Category: Small Molecules
- Published on Wednesday, 21 March 2007 02:00
- Hits: 1814
* Phase I clinical development of Jerini’s α5β1 antagonist for AMD planned for 2007
* Additional compounds from Jerini’s pipeline targeting ophthalmic pathways to be further developed
BERLIN, Germany | Mar 20, 2007 | Jerini AG (FSE:JI4) announced today the establishment of a wholly-owned US subsidiary, Jerini Ophthalmic, Inc., which will focus on the development of novel therapeutics for eye diseases. Dr. Anthony P. Adamis (co-founder of Eyetech Pharmaceuticals) will head Jerini Ophthalmic, Inc. as President and CEO. Most recently, Dr. Adamis served as Chief Scientific Officer and Executive Vice President of Research and Development at OSI Eyetech, where he helped lead the development, 2004 FDA approval, and market launch of Macugen(R), the first anti- vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) drug for ophthalmology. The initial funding of Jerini Ophthalmic, Inc. is solely provided by Jerini AG.
“We are extremely proud to have Dr. Adamis join our team as head of Jerini Ophthalmic. His experience and leadership in the ophthalmology field and highly successful track record will ensure the advancement of our very promising ophthalmic drug candidates,” stated Jens Schneider-Mergener, CEO of Jerini AG.
“I am very pleased to have the opportunity to take these novel drug candidates forward in ophthalmology. The science underlying these compounds is compelling, and our objective at Jerini Ophthalmic will be to translate that science into effective therapies for patients suffering from eye disease,” said Dr. Adamis.
Jerini Ophthalmic, Inc. will focus on the rapid development of novel, highly specific therapeutics for eye diseases along with extended-release formulations for chronic eye diseases. Using its Peptides-to-Drugs (P2D) technology platform, Jerini has developed several compounds targeting pathways associated with ophthalmic disease indications. One of these compounds, JSM 6427, an 51 integrin antagonist, has been biologically validated for therapeutic use in age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and proliferative vitreoretinopathy. The start of a Phase I clinical trial for JSM6427 is planned for 2007. Jerini’s C5a receptor antagonists also target pathways central to the development of AMD, and these will be further developed by Jerini Ophthalmic. In addition, Jerini Ophthalmic intends to further expand its pipeline through the development of other Jerini compounds and in-licensing activities.
Dr. Adamis is the author of more than 100 peer-reviewed articles published in scientific literature. He has also served on the Harvard Medical School faculty and has held the positions of Principal Investigator and Co-Director of the Retina Research Institute for Diabetic Retinopathy and Age-Related Macular Degeneration at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary.
SOURCE: Jerini AG