Aerpio Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:ARPO) lead candidate, AKB-9778, failed to meet its primary endpoint in its Phase 2b trial for moderate-to-severe non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR).
Compared to placebo, twice daily administration of the drug did not significantly improve patients’ eye diabetic retinopathy severity score by at least two steps.
AKB-9778, administered via subcutaneous injection for the treatment of NPDR, is also being developed for the treatment of glaucoma using an eyedrop formulation. Aerpio plans to initiate a Phase 1b study for AKB-9778 in glaucoma during the second quarter of 2019 and expects results by the end of the year.
