Qlaris Bio is seeing double when it comes to phase 2 wins for its eye drug, hitting the primary endpoints in trials that both spanned primary open angle glaucoma (POAG) and ocular hypertension (OHT).
The drug in question, dubbed QLS‑111, has been created with Qlaris’ ATP-sensitive potassium channel modulator platform and is designed to lower intraocular pressure (IOP). The results announced today included the Osprey study in 62 adults with either POAG or OHT, where a 0.015% concentration of QLS-111 dosed each evening was linked to a mean reduction of 3.7 mmHg in IOP from baseline.
Meanwhile, the Apteryx study compared a combo regimen of QLS-111 and Pfizer’s approved eye med Xalatan against Xalatan alone in 32 patients aged 12 years and older with POAG or OHT who had been stable on Xalatan therapy. Patients receiving the QLS-111 0.015% combo daily saw a 3.2 mmHg greater reduction in IOP, while those who received their QLS-111 dose twice a day saw an even greater relative reduction of 3.6 mmHg, according to Qlaris' Feb. 5 release.
No serious adverse events were reported, nor was any clinically meaningful hyperemia, Qlaris said. Hyperemia, also known as ‘red eye,’ results from excess blood flow in vessels in the white of the eye and can be a side effect of some glaucoma drugs.
“The data show QLS-111’s synergistic ability to provide significant IOP lowering in patients already on [Xalatan],” Qlaris’ Chief Medical Officer Barbara Wirostko, M.D., said in the release. “This substantial additive effect demonstrates the potential to significantly benefit patients who do not achieve IOP-lowering goals with current therapies.
“Additionally, we believe the promising tolerability profile of QLS-111 will further enhance the value to our patients by driving improved treatment compliance and adherence. This is supported by the absence of clinically relevant hyperemia, with no corneal changes and no clinically relevant ocular or systemic findings thus far in our studies,” Wirostko added.
QLS-111 lowers IOP by relaxing vessels of the vascular and vascular-like tissues distal to the trabecular meshwork, thereby reducing distal outflow resistance and lowering episcleral venous pressure (EVP). While there are various ways to lower IOP, there are currently no approved drugs that specifically target the reduction of EVP, Qlaris pointed out.
“This leaves a significant gap in the potential to maximally lower IOP since EVP can be the largest determinant of overall IOP,” the biotech noted in the release.
Development of QLS-111 was top of Qlaris’ to-do list when it secured a $24 million series B funding round in April 2024.