Eleven Biotherapeutics (EBIO), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company discovering and developing protein therapeutics to treat diseases of the eye, today announced the completion of patient enrollment in its first pivotal, Phase 3 clinical study of EBI-005 in patients with dry eye disease. EBI-005, a topical, novel interleukin-1 (IL-1) receptor blocker, is Eleven’s lead drug candidate in development for the treatment of moderate to severe dry eye disease and allergic conjunctivitis. Dry eye disease (DED) is a potentially debilitating disease of the eye that may, in its most severe forms, have sight-threatening corneal complications. DED is one of the leading causes of patient visits to eye care professionals in the United States. We believe that stress on the ocular surface leads to excess production of IL-1 resulting in increased ocular surface inflammation and hypersensitization of peripheral corneal nerves. Eleven’s therapeutic approach is based on the role of cytokines in diseases of the eye, the company’s understanding of the structural biology of cytokines and the company’s ability to rationally design and engineer proteins to modulate the effects of cytokines. Cytokines are cell signaling molecules found in the body that can have important inflammatory effects.
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