Marinosolv® technology successfully used in preclinical study in severe eye disease Neurotrophic keratopathy

•             Marinosolv® identified as a feasible aqueous drug carrier with distinct advantages in eye drops

•             Manifold scope of application for Marinosolv® confirmed

Vienna (Austria), February 6th, 2020. Marinomed Biotech AG, a globally active biopharmaceutical company with headquarters in Vienna, and the renowned University of Utah have published scientific investigations that provide initial evidence for further significant benefits of the innovative Marinosolv® platform in the field of corneal eye diseases. The study is now available to read in the international journal IOVS (Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science). “The new data once again show the effectiveness and manifold scope of application of our clinically validated Marinosolv® platform. This confirms again that Marinosolv® allows to apply a known drug in a new indication with remarkable potential advantages for patients”, says Dr. Andreas Grassauer, CEO of Marinomed.

Marinosolv® was identified as a feasible aqueous drug carrier with distinct advantages for the frequent formulation of pergolide as eye drops. Pergolide is currently not used for the treatment of eye diseases because the application is hampered by its poor solubility. The now published study revealed that pergolide solubilized by Marinosolv® could be a potentially efficacious therapeutic approach for the restoration of corneal sensation and visual acuity loss due to neurotrophic keratopathy (degenerative disease of the cornea of the eye).

Prof. Bala Ambati from the University of Utah comments: “Solubilization of otherwise insoluble compounds is critical especially in eye care where compounds are washed out fast. Marinosolv® is a new aqueous drug carrier that deserves further investigation beyond our present study.”

Neurotrophic keratopathy (NK) is a degenerative disease of the cornea that results in decreased or absent sensation to the cornea, corneal thinning, poor healing after corneal injury, persistent epithelial defects, cornea melting or perforation, and loss of vision. It can be caused by herpes virus, chemical burns, physical injury, corneal surgery, long term contact lens wear, or nerve injury. NK has an estimated prevalence of 5 in 10,000 people (0.05%).

Study reference: https://doi.org/10.1167/iovs.61.1.4

Citation: Zhang X, Muddana S, Kumar SR, et al. Topical pergolide enhance corneal nerve regrowth following induced corneal abrasion. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2020;61(1):4.

https://doi.org/10.1167/iovs.61.1.4

About Marinomed Biotech AG

Marinomed Biotech AG is a biopharmaceutical company with headquarters in Vienna (Austria) and is listed in the Prime Market of the Vienna Stock Exchange. The company focuses on the development of innovative products based on patent-protected technology platforms in the field of respiratory and ophthalmological diseases. The Marinosolv® technology platform increases the efficacy of hardly soluble compounds for the treatment of sensitive tissues such as the eyes and nose. The Carragelose® platform comprises innovative patent-protected products targeting viral infections of the respiratory tract. Carragelose® is used in nasal sprays, throat sprays and lozenges, which are sold via international partners in over 40 countries worldwide. Further information is available at: www.marinomed.com.