Singapore: Australian infectious disease therapy and vaccine development company BioDiem received positive results from formal studies of its BDM-E eye disease drug. The results were presented at the International Society for Eye Research (ISER) meeting held in Berlin, Germany, between July 21 and 22. The ISER convenes leading researchers and clinicians in the area of eye disease.

BDM-E has received orphan drug designation from the US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of the inherited degenerative eye disorder retinitis pigmentosa (RP).

The eye research results presented at the ISER Conference confirm the potential of BDM-E. The results were as follows:

1) BDM-E was found to reduce formation of abnormal blood vessel growth
2) BDM-E was found to reduce the signs of damage typical to retinitis pigmentosa
3) BDM-E was shown to improve the function of the retina and inhibit the death of cells imperative for sight

BioDiem has a research agreement with the Foundation Fighting Blindness, a leading US eye research advocate, to test BDM-E in a pre-clinical model of RP, a genetic cause of blindness without effective treatment options.

The research on BDM-E was conducted under retinal disease specialist Professor Jennifer Wilkinson-Berka from Monash University, a senior research fellow of the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) of Australia, and Associate Professor Erica Fletcher from The University of Melbourne.

The encouraging results add further momentum to BioDiem's plan to outlicense the BDM-E technology. "These results contribute to the strong and growing preclinical evidence showing BDM-E's positive effect in models of eye disease, and will help progress out-licensing opportunities for the drug," said BioDiem Chief Executive Officer Julie Phillips.