Adverum Biotechnologies Inc. (NASDAQ:ADVM) has been at the helm of developing novel gene therapies for the treatment of serious ocular and rare diseases. The company also acknowledges the fact that about 5% of adults with diabetes suffer from diabetic macular edema (DME), a disorder of diabetic retinopathy (DR), which threatens a person’s vision.
This puts more than 400 million people affected by diabetes across the globe at risk. However, Adverum says there is still hope to revive the situation. The company says it has randomized its first patient in the INFINITY clinical trial evaluating treatment with the potential of treating DME; ADVM-022. The patient was enrolled in Sierra Eye Associates, a clinical research center.
The Objectives of the INFINITY Trial Are Diverse
Leading retinal clinical trial sites are expected to partake in the INFINITY trial, which will enroll about 33 patients. According to the chief medical officer of Adverum Biotechnologies, Aaron Osborne, this is one of the company’s most exciting experiences. DME has remained burdensome to hundreds of patients across the world. This if ADVM-022 is approved is it should bring a turnaround in the lives of these patients.
There has been a growing drive in the company’s OPTIC, and INFINITY trials, and Aaron says it is in line with their primary goal of developing novel therapies. Other objectives include visual acuity and retinal anatomy. Meanwhile, the trial is designed to show its superiority in controlling disease activity resulting from a single intravitreal (IVT) injection of ADVM-022.
What Is The Current Therapy For DME?
DR is the primary cause of blindness in working-age adults. Statistics indicate that in every three adults with diabetes in the US one of them has DR. On the other hand, DME occurs at any severity stage of DR. Some of the symptoms of DME include retinal thickening in the area of the macula.
However, there is a standard care therapy for DME; anti-VEGF intravitreal injections. They are not highly recommended since their clinical trials have not had encouraging results. Besides, they put the patient under a constant need for them to maintain their vision.
