Keratitis sicca, also known as keratoconjunctivitis sicca, is a chronic eye disease that results from inadequate tear volume, leading to eye irritation that may lead to temporary or rarely permanent impairment in vision. It is a disease that is commonly found in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients.
Dry eye symptoms of several RA patients suffering from keratitis sicca that participated in a phase IIa study by Can-Fite were significantly improved following treatment with CF101.
Dr Pnina Fishman, Can-Fite’s CEO, commented that this finding was entirely unexpected. It was striking enough so as to be noticed in a clinical trial that was designed to look at improvement of RA disease symptoms.
This finding is believed to be very meaningful for two reasons: First it is further evidence to the anti-inflammatory efficacy of CF101; secondly it may open another avenue for future clinical development of CF101. The company has also submitted a new patent application relating to the new findings.
CF101 is a small molecule, which is administered to patients orally. This drug, which is developed for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, was tested to date in clinical trials in the USA, UK and Israel. The drug is active against a wide variety of autoimmune and cancer diseases and has a preferential safety profile.