The Swedish pharmaceutical development company Adenovir Pharma has started a phase II clinical study for the treatment of an infectious eye disease. Caused by adenoviruses, millions of people are infected every year by epidemic keratoconjunctivitis (EKC). There are currently no effective antiviral treatments available. Adenovir has already completed a clinical phase I study among 48 healthy volunteers and showed that the drug candidate is safe and well tolerated.

Adenovir is now continuing the development of a pharmaceutical product for the treatment of EKC and has started a double-blind randomised phase II clinical study at six eye clinics in Sweden and Germany. Several patients have already been treated. In total the study may include up to 130 patients and is estimated to be completed in 2014.

“In a global perspective EKC is a very common eye disease with millions of people infected every year. We also see many cases in Sweden. Since there is currently no effective antiviral treatment, we hope this drug candidate can be developed to become the treatment that the patients need,” says doctor Carl-Gustaf Laurell, S:t Erik’s Eye Hospital in Stockholm, and principle investigator for the study.

Adenovir Pharma is a project company that is part of the life science incubator P.U.L.S. AB in Helsingborg, Sweden. It uses unique patented technology and aims to develop a new antiviral medicinal product for the treatment of epidemic keratoconjunctivitis (EKC).

“This drug candidate takes a different and unique approach to treat the virus. If successfully developed, it could become the first effective antiviral treatment of EKC and it could solve a major medical problem,” says professor Gerd Geerling, University Eye Clinic in Düsseldorf, and in charge of the study at the German eye clinics.

Source: Adenovir