NicOx/Pfizer's glaucoma drug yields strong preclinical data

French drugmaker NicOx SA has reported promising preclinical results from nitric oxide-donating derivatives of latanoprost for the treatment of glaucoma, which is part of its August 2004 collaboration with world drug giant Pfizer.

In findings presented at the annual meeting of the Association for Ocular Pharmacology and Therapeutics, held in San Diego, California, USA, the nitric oxide-donating compound was shown to have an improved ability to lower intraocular pressure in validated preclinical models when compared to Pfizer's latanoprost, the leader in worldwide glaucoma drug sales, with approximately $1.5 billion of franchise sales in 2006.

According to the two firms, the compound brought about a greater IOP lowering than latanoprost in two different validated experimental models of raised IOP. For example, in one of the models, a single topical 0.1% dose of latanoprost resulted in an 18% maximal reduction versus a 30% drop achieved with an equimolar dose of the NO-donating compound.