iCo Therapeutics iCo-007 Diabetic Macular Edema Poster Presentation at ARVO
April 25, 2008
VANCOUVER, Canada— iCo Therapeutics Inc. (TSX-V: ICO) announces that the company’s Diabetic Macular Edema (DME) candidate, “iCo-007”, will be presented by Dr. Peter Hnik in a poster session at the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology Annual Meeting (ARVO).
The poster, “iCo-007, a VEGF “+” Agent for the Potential Treatment of Diabetic Macular Edema and Diabetic Retinopathy”, can be viewed during the Macular Edema in Diabetes poster session on Tuesday, Apr 29, 2008 from 3:00 PM – 4:45 PM in Hall B/C of the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention Center. Dr. Peter Hnik, iCo Therapeutics’ Chief Medical Officer, will be in attendance to respond to questions.
Designed and discovered by ISIS Pharmaceuticals Inc., (NASDAQ: ISIS), iCo-007 is a second-generation antisense inhibitor targeting c-Raf kinase mRNA for the treatment of DME and Diabetic Retinopathy. iCo licensed the worldwide exclusive rights to all therapeutic applications of iCo-007 from ISIS in 2005.
“DME is an unmet medical need representing vast market potential for novel compounds such as iCo-007”, said Andrew Rae, iCo’s President & CEO. “It is our hope that iCo-007’s ongoing Phase I trial in DME patients will represent a vital step in developing a treatment for this increasingly prevalent disease.”
About iCo-007
iCo-007 is expected to decrease swelling in the retina and related visual impairment by decreasing the signaling of multiple growth factors, including VEGF, IGF, bFGF, EPO and HGF that signal through the c-Raf kinase / MAP kinase pathway. iCo-007 is currently in an open label, dose escalating Phase I clinical trial in DME patients. The primary endpoint of the trial is safety, with visual acuity and measures of retinal thickness serving as secondary endpoints. iCo-007 may also be a potential treatment for certain oncology indications, as c-Raf kinase is the predominant Raf isoform responsible for regulating cellular growth in ovarian cancer.
About Diabetic Macular Edema
There are currently no approved therapeutics for DME, the leading cause of blindness in working age adults. DME currently affects about 1.6 million people in the U.S. alone, a number that is expected to grow as Diabetes is forecast to increase by almost 50% in the US by 2025.
