Eleven Biotherapeutics Presents Data on Novel Protein Therapeutics for Treatment of Front and Back of Eye Diseases at ARVO 2014 Annual Meeting

Eleven Biotherapeutics, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company discovering and developing protein therapeutics to treat diseases of the eye, has announced the presentation of data for two of its novel, protein therapeutics demonstrating the key role of cytokine biology to target both front and back of eye diseases at the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) 2014 Annual Meeting in Orlando, FL.

Clinical data on Eleven’s lead drug candidate, EBI-005, the first IL-1 (Interleukin-1) signaling inhibitor designed for topical ocular administration, demonstrated improvements in signs and symptoms of dry eye disease (DED), including reduction in ocular pain and artificial tear use.

In addition, preclinical data on EBI-029, an IL-6 (Interleukin-6) inhibitor optimized for localized ocular administration in diabetic macular edema (DME), has demonstrated that EBI-029 potently inhibits IL-6 signaling in vitro. IL-6 is a cytokine that has previously been shown to be upregulated in DME, contributing to the angiogenic and inflammatory components of the disease and correlating with disease severity. By inhibiting IL-6, EBI-029 could offer an alternative to current standard of care, including anti-VEGF therapies.

“Proteins designed specifically as ophthalmic therapies represents an innovative approach to treating diseases of the eye with high unmet need,” said Abbie Celniker, PhD, Chief Executive Officer of Eleven Biotherapeutics. “These data demonstrate Eleven’s ability to target both front and back of eye disease by leveraging our extensive cytokine biology expertise.”

Dr Celniker continued: “The data we are presenting on our lead product candidate, EBI-005, underscores its potential utility in treating dry eye disease by inhibiting the cytokine IL-1, a key mediator of inflammation in the eye. Likewise, a correlation has been previously observed between increased IL-6 levels and disease severity in diabetic macular edema, including scenarios where VEGF inhibition treatment has been suboptimal. These data suggest the potential of IL-6 blockade with EBI-029 in treating diabetic macular edema and support further development of EBI-029 either as a stand-alone drug or in combination with VEGF blockade.”

EBI-005, a topical IL-1 receptor antagonist for the treatment of ocular surface disease, is currently being evaluated in a pivotal Phase III clinical study in subjects with DED and a Phase II clinical study in subjects with allergic conjunctivitis. EBI-029, an IL-6 receptor antagonist for localized intravitreal treatment of back of eye disease, is currently in preclinical development for the treatment of DME.