Roche’s ambitious quest to develop an oral treatment for diabetic retinopathy has faced a setback, as the company decided to halt the development of vicasinabin after successfully completing phase 2 trials. Vicasinabin, also known as RG7774, had entered phase 2 in 2020 with the promise of potentially offering an oral alternative to the invasive treatments, such as eye injections, commonly used for diabetic retinopathy, a condition that can lead to vision loss and blindness in individuals with diabetes. Regrettably, the clinical trial, concluded in July, did not provide sufficient grounds for Roche to continue investing in this candidate.
This decision removes one of the prominent oral contenders in the realm of diabetic retinopathy. While Ocuphire Pharma has advanced its oral candidate, APX3330, through phase 2, Bayer, InflammX, and Rezolute also have oral assets in clinical phases. Notably, several other companies have attempted to address this condition, including Boehringer Ingelheim, but with less success.
Roche’s discontinuation of vicasinabin from its pipeline was part of a broader third-quarter strategic adjustment that also impacted cibisatamab, a bispecific compound designed to target CD3 on T cells and CEA on cancer cells. Numerous companies have identified CEA as an attractive target for treating solid tumors. Roche initiated a phase 1 trial of an older CEAxCD3 bispecific, RO6958688, in 2014, and subsequently, cibisatamab, also known as RG7802, entered clinical evaluation in 2019 in combination with Roche’s checkpoint inhibitor Tecentriq for colorectal cancer patients. Nevertheless, Roche has now removed RG7802 from its phase 1 pipeline for solid tumors while continuing to explore its potential in combination with RO7122290, a bispecific antibody-like fusion protein targeting 4-1BB and FAP, for colorectal cancer.
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Teresa Graham, CEO of Roche Pharmaceuticals, commented on these pipeline adjustments during a media conference call, stating that these are early-stage assets situated within their research and early development divisions. She also indicated that encouraging early data might warrant further study, providing hope for additional insights at upcoming medical conferences.
Additionally, Roche made the decision to remove the schizophrenia candidate, ralmitaront, from its mid-phase pipeline. This choice followed the termination of a phase 2 trial earlier this year after an interim analysis suggested it was unlikely to meet its primary endpoint. Notably, another trial of this molecule was terminated last year.
