Biotech Values

[DewDiligence]

Squalamine in diabetic ophthalmic indications:

>> I do not recall diabetic macular edema ever being associated with squalamine. Am I correct in concluding that squalamine does not affect DME? <<

Most drugs used to treat AMD can be expected to have some efficacy in diabetic retinopathy / diabetic macular edema and I’m not aware of any reason that Squalamine would not also be effective there. However, efficacy in these diabetic indications cannot be taken for granted –a full clinical-development program is needed to prove that an AMD drug is safe and effective in these settings.

Safety is likely to be more of an issue in DR/DME than in AMD because diabetics’ overall health is more fragile than the general population’s. So it makes sense that companies would want to defer studies in diabetic patients until gleaning more knowledge about safety from trials in AMD. Moreover, the addressable market in DR/DME is smaller than the AMD market, so the upside from rapid clinical of the diabetic indications is not as compelling as it is for AMD.

P.S. Another great question, peru. You are on a roll!