Graybug Vision Inc (NASDAQ: GRAY) has given shareholders an update on GB-102, GB-401, GB-501, GB-701, and GB-601.
According to Graybug’s CEO, Fred Guerard, the company is excited to start a Phase II clinical trial of GB-102 for wet macular degeneration in Q4 2022. The company is also happy to expand its efforts to create therapies for corneal and retinal diseases that cause vision loss. Moreover, Graybug will use its operational cash to work further on GB-501, GB-401, and GB-102.
After several in vitro tests that showed success, the company plans to use an optimized GB-102 formulation. The company believes that this new formulation and its optimized patient inclusion methodology will yield findings similar to current therapeutic standards.
The company is evaluating GB-401 for glaucoma
The company is also testing GB-401 with glaucoma. The reason is that many patients fail to comply with eye drops used for treatment. The lack of compliance causes optic nerve generations and permanent loss of vision.
GB-401 compliance could be more manageable as patients only need to administer the drug twice each year. Moreover, the drug is administered intravitreally through injections meaning there will be closer monitoring by an ophthalmologist.
Graybug plans to start a Phase I study in GB-401 in Q1 2023. By Q2 2023, the company would have resulted in the efficacy and safety of the treatment.
The company is conducting a study on GB-501
After Graybug purchased a startup called RainBio, the company managed to get the rights to GB-501. RainBio created the therapy to treat mucopolysaccharidosis type 2. This disease is a genetic disorder that affects lysosomes storage capabilities. While there are several systemic treatments for the disease, there is still a high incidence of corneal closing resulting from it.
The U.S Food and Drug Administration gave this drug an Orphan Drug Designation. This designation is reserved for drugs that treat rare diseases to give companies incentives to create them.
When the company tested the drug in dog corneas, it showed a complete clearance even in cases when disease severity was high. Researchers have also successfully tested it in several animal models indicating that it could be as effective in humans.
