Week in review: Epi-on trial, dry eye drug, gold contacts

A weekly roundup of ophthalmic news from around the web.

An epi-on corneal crosslinking trial met its primary endpoint in a phase 3 trial. Developed by Glaukos, the iLink therapy uses a proprietary novel drug formulation with a stronger UVA irradiation protocol and increased levels of supplemental oxygen. The treatment arm demonstrated a significant improvement in maximum corneal curvature at 6 months from baseline when compared with controls. The company intends to submit a new drug application submission in 2022, with an approval targeted in 2023. Glaukos

Phase 3 data suggest a new dry eye treatment may be as safe as artificial tears. In addition to a comparable tolerability, the trial of 610 patients showed that SkQ1—a cardiolipin peroxidation inhibitor that combats mitochondrial oxidative stress—significantly clears central corneal fluorescein staining and improves BCVA by day 28. Researchers plan on using the results to guide their next pivotal study, with their eyes on an new drug application submission in 2022. Mitotech

A treatment for infantile neuroaxonal dystrophy (INAD) may be around the bend. The FDA has granted rare pediatric disease designation to Retrotope’s lead candidate RT001 for treating INAD, which can lead to progressive vision loss. The company claims that the treatment—synthetic linoleic acid developed using their novel platform—can protect membranes from degeneration by downregulating oxidative degradation of lipids. The treatment has already obtained orphan drug designation from the FDA and EMA and a phase 2/3 trial is underway. Retrotope

Gold may be the key to safer contact lenses for color blindness. Turns out, mixing gold nanoparticles into contact lens materials yields rose-tinted lenses that filter out problematic colors for individuals with red-green color blindness. The lenses have a transmission spectrum similar to commercially available tinted glasses for color vision deficiency, and have water retention and wettability capabilities that are superior to cosmetic/vision correcting contacts. Another plus? Gold nanoparticles are also nontoxic, an issue researchers encountered with prior iterations of tinted contacts lenses. Next, they plan on initiating clinical trials to assess patient comfort. American Chemical Society, ACS Nano