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OPKO's Bevasiranib Named One Of Most Promising Drugs Recently Entering Phase III Trials
Main Category: Eye Health / Blindness News
Article Date: 07 Dec 2007

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/90971.php

OPKO Health, Inc. (Amex: OPK) reported that the gene silencing agent bevasiranib, OPKO's lead compound for the treatment of wet age-related macular degeneration (wet AMD), was named one of the top five most promising drugs entering Phase III clinical trials during the third quarter of 2007.
The designation was reported in the current issue of The Ones to Watch report issued by Thomson Scientific Inc.
Thomson's industry experts stated that their selections this quarter are intended to "showcase the ongoing drive to find therapies for diseases that impact on ageing and sedentary populations." Data for the Thomson report was compiled and analyzed using Thomson Pharma(R), a comprehensive global pharmaceutical information solution that covers the entire drug discovery and development pipeline.

"We are very pleased to receive this recognition from Thomson Scientific since we believe bevasiranib has the potential to represent a major advance in the treatment of this common condition that limits the independence and quality of life of millions of older people around the globe," said Phillip Frost, M.D., Chairman and CEO of Opko Health.
"Current vision-preserving therapy requires patients with wet AMD to receive intravitreal injections every four weeks, so the potential ability of bevasiranib to achieve similar results while requiring less frequent injections would be an important benefit for these patients, who often have limited mobility. Bevasiranib also has demonstrated excellent safety in clinical trials to date, another important consideration in this patient population."

Bevasiranib is a first-in-class small interfering RNA (siRNA) drug designed to silence the genes that produce vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), believed to be largely responsible for the vision loss of wet AMD. Bevasiranib is the first therapy based on the Nobel Prize-winning RNA interference (RNAi) technology to advance to Phase III clinical trials.

The multi-national Phase III COBALT (Combining Bevasiranib And Lucentis Therapy) clinical trial of bevasiranib for the treatment of wet AMD is currently enrolling patients at multiple clinical sites. For more information about the COBALT trial, please visit http://www.opko.com/clinicaltrials

About OPKO Health, Inc.

Miami-based OPKO is a specialty healthcare company. Its lead investigational drug, the pioneering gene silencing agent bevasiranib, has entered a pivotal Phase III trial after successfully completing Phase II trials for wet age-related macular degeneration and diabetic macular edema. OPKO is developing a preclinical pipeline of novel agents for ophthalmic diseases, and it markets innovative diagnostic imaging systems that complement the company's therapeutic products. For more information visit the company's website at http://www.opko.com.