ESBATech AG, a leading developer of antibody fragment therapeutics,
announced that the company has successfully completed its Phase I clinical
study of the company’s lead product candidate, ESBA105, in ophthalmic
indications. In April 2008, ESBATech initiated the Phase I study designed to
evaluate the safety, tolerability and pharmacokinetic profile of ESBA105,
when delivered topically via eye drops in healthy volunteers. This trial was
conducted as a single and repeated dose escalation study in Switzerland.
ESBA105 is a single-chain antibody fragment directed against TNF-alpha, and
it is being developed initially for ophthalmic indications. Several
additional clinical studies are in the preparation stages.
Manfred Zierhut, Professor in the Department of Ophthalmology at the
University of Tuebingen in Germany, will present preclinical pharmacokinetic
data on ESBA105 on Friday, September 12, 2008, at the 7th International
Symposium on Uveitis in Constance, Germany. For more information on the
symposium and on Prof. Zierhut’s abstract, please visit iusg2008.
Dominik Escher, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of ESBATech AG, commented,
“The completion of this Phase I study with ESBA105 in ophthalmic indications
marks a critical clinical milestone for the company. Recently, ESBATech
secured CHF 23M (USD 22M) in an extended Series B venture financing round.
This financing will fund further clinical studies with ESBA105 in ophthalmic
indications, as well as build broad franchises in ophthalmology, rheumatology
and respiratory diseases for ESBA105 and other antibody fragments. We look
forward to announcing the results of this Phase I study and future clinical
trials.”
Peter Lichtlen, M.D., Ph.D., Head of Clinical Development at ESBATech AG,
commented, “We are encouraged by the safety and pharmacokinetic profile that
ESBA105 has demonstrated in this Phase I study and we look forward to
continuing our progress in the clinical development of this product.”
About ESBATech AG
ESBATech AG is a Zurich, Switzerland-based, privately held drug discovery
and development company focused on advancing antibody fragments for
therapeutic applications. The company applies its proprietary, fully human
single-chain antibody frameworks to generate product candidates against
targets of clinical relevance. ESBATech is focused on delivering high
concentrations of its therapeutic antibody fragments to the targeted sites,
in combination with extremely low systemic load, in order to achieve low risk
of systemic drug reactions using topical and local delivery.
Current venture investors include SV Life Sciences, Clarus Ventures, HBM
BioVentures, HBM BioCapital, Novartis Bioventures, BioMedinvest and VI
Partners. For more information about ESBATech, please visit,
esbatech.
ESBATech AG