Santen invests in Clearside’s posterior segment pipeline

Santen Inc. announced that its parent company, Santen Ltd., has invested in Clearside Biomedical Inc. and entered into a research collaboration agreement for posterior segment diseases, according to a company press release.

Santen said it will join other investors to fund $7.9 million for continued development of CLS1001 and Clearside’s pipeline of research into choroidal neovascularization and inflammatory diseases of the posterior segment, the release said.

“Clearside Biomedical’s proprietary microinjection platform provides a novel access to the retina and choroid and may provide improvements in delivering drugs to the site of retinal diseases via the suprachoroidal space through an in-office injection procedure,” Quan Dong Nguyen, MD, MSc, said in the press release. Nguyen is incoming McGaw professor and chairman of the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences and director of the Stanley M. Truhlsen Eye Institute at the University of Nebraska Medical Center.

Schalon Newton, DM, vice president of strategic marketing and business development for Santen, said in the release: ”Santen is committed to discovering and developing innovative therapies for the treatment of retinal disease. Our partnership with Clearside Biomedical provides a unique option in medical treatment for the difficult-to-treat posterior ocular diseases.”

Clearside Biomedical currently has an investigational new drug application for triamcinolone acetonide (CLS1001) suprachoroidal injection suspension for treating sympathetic ophthalmic temporal arteritis, uveitis and ocular inflammatory conditions unresponsive to topical corticosteroids, the release said. The company said clinical testing is scheduled to begin in the first quarter of this year.