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news.Ophthotech, a biopharmaceutical company, has announced the enrollment of its first patient in a complement inhibition trial for the treatment of age-related macular degeneration. This Phase I trial will assess the safety and tolerability of ARC1905, an anti-C5 complement factor aptamer, in combination with an anti-VEGF agent.
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ARC1905 represents one of three compounds that Ophthotech is developing to treat age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Additional molecular entities include E10030, an anti-PDGF aptamer currently in a Phase I study, and volociximab, an anti-angiogenic monoclonal antibody targeting the alpha5beta1 integrin, which is on track to commence clinical trials in the near future.
Anti-C5 aptamer ARC1905 inhibits C5, a central component of the complement cascade, which plays multiple roles in innate immunity and inflammatory diseases.
Samir Patel, president and CEO of Ophthotech, said: “Preclinical and human genetic linkage studies strongly support the significant role of complement-mediated inflammation in both dry and wet AMD. We believe that anti-C5 aptamer blockade represents a potential breakthrough therapy for both wet and dry forms of AMD.”