Channel Therapeutics announces efficacy results for eye drop formulations

Channel Therapeutics Corporation has achieved its predefined endpoints in two pre-clinical animal models of the Company’s eye drop formulations for the treatment of both acute ocular pain as well as chronic ocular surface pain commonly associated with dry eye disease. “We are very pleased with the results of these animal efficacy studies, which adds to the Depot formulation study results announced in December 2024, demonstrating a viable path forward in treating both post-surgical pain and chronic eye pain,” stated Dr. Eric Lang, Chief Medical Officer of Channel. “Additionally, these results support our belief that the inhibition of NaV1.7 has broad applications in treating different pain indications and further supports the genetic validation that NaV1.7 is a potent target for pain,” concluded Dr. Lang. Trial One: In the first trial, rabbits were treated with capsaicin to mimic an acute ocular insult in a common, validated model for acute eye pain studies. Following the capsaicin treatment, the rabbits were treated with CT2000, which was dosed four times over a 24-hour period. Pain was measured by the number of paw wipes over 60 seconds. The results showed that CT2000 significantly reduced the number of paw wipes within 15 minutes of administration of capsaicin and that CT2000 continued to show efficacy over a 60-minute period following administration. This eye pain model was only validated for a short duration. Trial Two: In the second trial, benzalkonium chloride was instilled in mice eyes over a multiday period to create a model of dry eye disease. BAC is a detergent that irritates the eyes and simulates dry eye disease. As with the capsaicin model summarized above, increased paw wipes over 60 seconds were a surrogate to measure ocular pain. Following the induction of dry eye using BAC, the mice were dosed with CT2000 four times per day for 7 days. CT2000 reduced the frequency of paw wipes within a single day of administration and showed cumulative efficacy over time.