We expect a significant breakthrough in the field of ophthalmology

18. 04. 2023

The clinical company LENZ Therapeutics has successfully entered the third phase of development in innovative ophthalmological pharmaceutical products aimed at improving vision, specifically for the treatment presbyopia. The development is primarily focused on aceclidine eye drops, which Lenz Therapeutics combines with brimonidine, which is produced by FARMAK a.s. Thanks to this combination, the positive effects of presbyopia treatment are more effective and keep improving the healing process over time.

“It may be an incredible breakthrough in ophthalmology,” says Dr. rer. nat. Roman Buchtík, PhD., including that patients with presbyopia could apply newly developed eye drops in the morning and would not need to use reading glasses all day long. Even people with multiple vision defects could keep wearing glasses for short-sightedness without restriction.

 

The clinical Study Highlights Effect of brimonidine

FARMAK, a.s. has been one of the World's leading manufacturers of brimonidine tartrate for many years. The LENZ Therapeutics clinical studies highlighted brimonidine in combination with aceclidine, that showed the best results in the treatment and the reduction of the presbyopia effects. "We are excited about the positive results of the clinical Phase II and look forward to further progress. We firmly believe that the new treatment will find its way directly to patients,” says Dr. rer. nat. Roman Buchtík, PhD.

 The primary aim of the ongoing Phase III development program examining eye drops LNZ100 (aceclidine) and LNZ101 (aceclidine and brimonidine) is the percentage of patients who receive three lines of improvement in long-sightedness without losing one line of vision of short-sightedness. "Aceclidine is the only pupil selective miotic in which iris stimulation is decoupled from ciliary muscle stimulation, enabling LNZ100 and LNZ101 to achieve and sustain a 1.5- to 2-mm pupil for 10 hours" emphasizes Eef Schimmelpennink, President and CEO of LENZ Therapeutics. "For eye care professionals, this represents an additional option for patients that holds the potential for an all-day eye drop treatment for the vast majority of presbyopes.” [[i]].

The study has great financial support and is progressing successfully

LENZ Therapeutics recently acquired $83.5 million to finance its clinical studies. "The study is therefore well funded to complete the ongoing Phase III studies on aceclidine-based presbyopia," adds Eef Schimmelpennink.

 

What is presbyopia?

Presbyopia is the main cause of eye damage worldwide. It is a condition where your eyes gradually lose their ability to see things nearby clearly. It is a normal part of ageing. Originally, the term 'presbyopia' comes from Greek and means 'old eye'. Presbyopia can be observed after the age of 40, when we start holding materials farther away so that we can see them clearly [[ii]].

The main presbyopia treatment approaches

Doctors mainly recommend glasses for long-sightedness [[iii]–[iv] ]. Other recent monovision approaches are corrections with contact lenses or bifocal contact lenses, and even more invasive methods such as refractive surgery and extraction with new intraocular lens developments [[v]].

Today there are already several pharmaceutical reagents tested for the treatment of presbyopia [[vi]]. Pharmacological treatment of presbyopia can be an alternative for those who want to deal with presbyopia without glasses. It is a method with a lower risk of irreversible eye adverse events. There are two main substances examined for pharmacological treatment – miotics and lenses plasticizers. Miotic agents treat presbyopia by creating an effect of pin holes, which can increase the depth of field at all working distances. Lens plasticizers increase the elasticity of the lens, which is aimed at one of the etiological mechanisms of presbyopia [[vii]].

[i] https://www.healio.com/news/ophthalmology/20230320/lenz-raises-835-million-in-financing-to-advance-trials-for-presbyopia-eye-drops

[ii] https://www.aao.org/eye-health/diseases/what-is-presbyopia

[iii] Fricke TR, Tahhan N, Resnikoff S, et al. Global prevalence of presbyopia and vision impairment from uncorrected presbyopia: systematic review, meta-analysis, and modelling. Ophthalmology. 2018;125(10):1492–1499.

[iv] FC. D. On the anomalies of accommodation and refraction of the eye. Society NS, editor. London; 1864.

[v] Grzybowski A, Markeviciute A, Zemaitiene R. A review of pharmacological presbyopia treatment. Asia-Pacific journal of ophthalmology. 2020;9(3):226–233.

[vi] Grzybowski A, Ruamviboonsuk V. Pharmacological Treatment in Presbyopia. J. Clin. Med. 2022;11(5): 385.

[vii] Grzybowski A, Ruamviboonsuk V. Pharmacological treatment in presbyopia. J. Clin. Med. 2022;11(5):1385.