InMed Demonstrates Encouraging Data For Its Cannabinoid INM-089 In Treating Dry AMD, An Ocular Disease With Rising Patient Numbers As National Population Ages
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August 28, 2024 08:40 AM Eastern Daylight Time
By Meg Flippin, Benzinga
When it comes to diseases of the eyes, age-related macular degeneration or AMD is a big one, afflicting 19.8 million people or 12.6% of Americans aged 40 and older. In adults 50+ it is the most common cause of severe loss of eyesight. People suffering from AMD, which affects central vision, lose the ability to see fine details.
As the disease progresses, sufferers may not be able to see faces, read small print and even drive. What makes this incurable disease even worse is that in the early stages, there can often be no initial signs or symptoms. Left unchecked, patients may lose central field vision in the affected eye within 24 months of disease onset.
While treatments are available, most focus on controlling the symptoms rather than addressing the underlying causes. Moreover, the treatments often rely on patients making changes to their lifestyles such as eating healthy and quitting smoking, which isn’t always easy to do.
Cannabinoids May Be Part Of The Answer
InMed Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ: INM), a leader in cannabinoids and cannabinoid analogs pharmaceutical research, development, manufacturing and commercialization, may have a solution with INM-089, the company’s ocular program for AMD, which it launched in November. With scientific research continually pointing to the neuroprotective effects of cannabinoids, InMed set out to develop a cannabinoid analog that could treat ocular diseases such as AMD. For those with AMD, neuroprotection is essential to preserve the nerve cells in the eyes and potentially slow or reverse eye damage, which InMed says it is in the process of proving INM-089 can do.
Studies of InMed’s INM-089 cannabinoid analog, which is a small molecule compound, demonstrated its ability to proactively protect the nerve cells in the back of the eye in the retinal area, exhibiting its therapeutic potential for AMD. Small molecules can cross the blood-brain barrier and are typically better suited for multiple drug delivery options because they can be efficiently absorbed, making INM-089 a promising drug candidate for pharmaceutical use, reports InMed.
Studies Demonstrate INM-089’s Benefits
The company has data to back up its assessment. Results from several in vitro and in vivo studies showed INM-089 provides neuroprotection of photoreceptors and improves photoreceptor function, enhances the integrity of the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), preserves retinal function in the back of the eye and improves the thickness of the outer nuclear layer of the retina where photoreceptors are located. Neuroprotection in AMD remains an unmet medical need and a new treatment option addressing neuroprotection may help to eliminate or reduce the effects of the condition, InMed says.
More recently, InMed found in a proof of concept study that INM-089 may be more effective in treating dry AMD than wet AMD and may be an “important” candidate for Geographic Atrophy (GA) which is common in more advanced cases of dry AMD, affecting the center of the macula.
In vivo preclinical studies in AMD disease models demonstrated all of the previous benefits, as well as a reduction in extracellular autofluorescent deposits, a hallmark of dry AMD, the company reports. The latter wasn’t demonstrated in previous trials, leading InMed to believe INM-089 is ideally suited for dry AMD.
Dry AMD Needs Immediate Attention
Among forms of AMD, dry AMD is the most common, accounting for 85% to 90% of all cases. In 2023, the U.S. had the highest prevalence of dry AMD. With dry AMD, waste proteins and lipids begin to accumulate due to poor circulation and poor waste flushing in the eye. The advanced stage of dry AMD is referred to as Geographic Atrophy, with approximately five million patients globally suffering from it. The prevalence of GA is projected to continue to rise in the coming years, with an estimated 18.5 million cases globally by 2040 as the population ages.
“We are very excited with the data from recent preclinical studies demonstrating both significant functional and pathological improvements from INM-089 in the AMD model,” Dr. Eric Hsu, SVP of preclinical research and development at InMed said. “While a few treatment options are currently available, their efficacy is limited and may be associated with several undesirable side effects. We see an opportunity for INM-089 to slow the progression and to fill a significant gap in the treatment of this chronic disease.”
Taking It To The Next Level
Given all the positive results of its studies, InMed said it recently engaged a Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO) to assist in scale-up manufacturing process development of the active pharmaceutical ingredient. Meanwhile, the company is internally developing drug product formulation to support the next stages of development activities.
What’s more, additional preclinical activities are ongoing to further understand the mechanism of action including receptor interactions and drug metabolism and pharmacokinetics studies, InMed said. All of these are being conducted with the goal of eventual commercialization of INM-089.
The global population is aging, which means cases of AMD are poised to increase. That’s bad news given there is no cure, and the effects of this disease can be debilitating and life-altering. InMed doesn’t want that to be the case, and is betting its cannabinoid can play an important role in finding better treatments for AMD. With positive results from several studies under its belt, InMed is one step closer to bringing INM-089 to the millions of older adults who suffer from this disease.
Featured photo by Jeremy Wong on Unsplash.
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