First oral uveitis drug reduces both inflammation and recurrence in potentially blinding e...( Fort Lauderdale FL (May 4 2009): Uve...)

Fort Lauderdale, FL (May 4, 2009): Uveitis, or inflammation within the eye, is a group of diseases responsible for years of visual loss roughly comparable to that caused by diabetes. Now, results from a pioneering international Phase 3 program in uveitis, the LUMINATE trials sponsored by Lux Biosciences, demonstrate the ability of LX211 (LUVENIQ, voclosporin oral capsule) to significantly improve this chronic eye inflammation. Additionally, in patients who are discontinuing potentially toxic medications for uveitis, such as the corticosteroid prednisone, LX211 actively reduces the rate of inflammatory exacerbations by 50% at six months, compared to placebo. The study results also show a safety profile for LX211 at the 0.4 mg/kg bid dose that suggests the experimental drug would be suitable for chronic use as the first oral treatment for this sight-threatening inflammatory eye disease, while also providing a means to greatly reduce the serious health risks associated with long-term corticosteroid use. LX211 is a novel and proprietary next-generation calcineurin inhibitor that Lux Biosciences is developing for ophthalmic uses.

Dr. James T. Rosenbaum, M.D., Professor of Ophthalmology, Medicine and Cell Biology and Vice-Chair of the Department of Ophthalmology of the Casey Eye Institute Oregon Health Sciences University (OHSU), represented the LUMINATE Investigator Network in presenting the Phase 3 LUMINATE program results for the first time at the 2009 annual meeting of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO). The LUMINATE program, consisting of three randomized, double-masked, dose-ranging and placebo-controlled trials that enrolled a total of 558 patients at 56 sites in 7 countries (United States, Canada, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Austria and India), is the largest clinical program ever conducted in uveitis.

"Uveitis, a term used to classify a group of autoimmune diseases characterized by chronic inflammation of
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