Aerie Pharma Starts Phase 3 Trial In Canada Of Rhopressa In Glaucoma Patients

(RTTNews) - Aerie Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (AERI), a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company focused on glaucoma therapies, announced Wednesday that on August 29, dosing commenced of the first patients enrolled in the Company's Phase 3 registration trial in Canada of Rhopressa in patients with glaucoma.

The study, named "Rocket 3," is designed to evaluate safety and tolerability of Rhopressa in patients over a 12 month period and is part of a broad Phase 3 program being conducted by Aerie.

Rhopressa is a novel once-daily, triple-action eye drop being tested for its ability to lower intraocular pressure or IOP in patients with glaucoma or ocular hypertension.

The company recently announced the commencement of two Phase 3 trials in the United States, "Rocket 1" and "Rocket 2," which are focused on demonstrating non-inferiority of IOP lowering for Rhopressa compared to timolol, the most widely used comparator in registration trials for glaucoma.

Aerie anticipates total enrollment of approximately 1,300 patients in the three Phase 3 trials of Rhopressa.

Pending progress of the Rhopressa Phase 3 program and regulatory approvals, Aerie intends to commercialize Rhopressa in North American markets with its own sales force and will seek commercialization partners in other key territories, including Japan and possibly Europe.

Aerie noted that it fully owns its product candidates, has no licenses, and has patent protection for both use and composition of matter through 2030.