Mitochondria-targeting dry eye drug shows promise

Mitotech announced that a phase 2 study suggests its mitochondria-targeting antioxidant can improve both signs and symptoms of dry eye.

Formulated as a topical treatment, SkQ1 is the first mitochondria-targeted antioxidant to reach clinical phase of development for an ophthalmic indication. It’s already approved in Russia as Visomitin.

The U.S. trial included 90 patients with moderate to severe disease enrolled at a single center in Andover, Mass. Using Ora’s Controlled Adverse Environment chamber, they assessed the patients' ability to withstand a stressful environment on the eye.

At 1 month, the drug demonstrated superiority over placebo in several endpoints such as central (p = 0.036) and total corneal (p = 0.045) fluorescein staining and grittiness (p = 0.058). The drug was well-tolerated and there were no unexpected or serious ocular adverse events.