Under the collaboration the California, US-based drug firm will use polyesteramide polymer (PEA) technology – the degradation of which can be controlled – to make an injectable fibre that releases the active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) over an extended period.
The initial focus of the research will be AR-13154, a small molecule candidate that inhibits enzymes involved in the development of lesions characteristic of wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
However, the accord – financial terms of which were not disclosed – permits Aerie to apply the technology to other candidate compounds in its pipeline.
CEO Vicente Anido said: “Unlocking the potential of AR-13154 and related Aerie-owned compounds for the treatment of retinal diseases is the identification of the appropriate technology to achieve longer-term sustained delivery of our small molecules to the back of the eye.”