MADRID, May 7, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

• The results of SYL116011 have demonstrated that this treatment reduces the symptoms related to the allergy in 50% to 80%^[i] .

• The ARVO meeting has considered the poster presentation to be of scientific interest, contributing therefore to its release.

• Around 30% of the worldwide population show allergic symptoms and between 40-80% of them have the symptoms in their eyes^[ii].

Within the framework of the annual meeting of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO), that has been held from the 29th of April and up to 3^rd of May, in Honolulu (Hawaii), Sylentis, pharmaceutical company belonging to the PharmaMar Group (MCE: PHM) , has presented preclinical results on RNAi therapy, and has shown how SYL116011 acts on seasonal ocular allergies (Posterboard number: 5567 - A0259)^[i].

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The abstract gathers the results of SYL116011 that show that this treatment which is being researched for ocular allergies caused by pollen, reduces the symptoms related to this allergy, such as swelling and tearing in between 50% and 80%, being possibly considered as a new potential treatment for seasonal ocular allergies. SYL116011 is administered once a day and has fewer secondary effects than antihistamines that usually provoke itchy eyes and drowsiness, apart from having to be administered between 3 and 4 times a day^[iii].

This meeting that had the purpose of sharing the latest progress in research in the area of vision and contributes to progress in the knowledge of basic science and cutting-edge clinical research has considered this poster to be of scientific interest, contributing to its release.

According to Ana Isabel Jiménez, Director of R&D at Sylentis, "Eye allergies are one of the most common illnesses that allergists and ophthalmologists come across. The problem is that a majority of the drugs that are available for the treatment of ocular allergies are focused on alleviating, from time to time, the symptoms."

As Victoria González, PHD, Sylentis explained "This new therapy allows the number of administrations to be reduced to once daily without inducing systemic side effects, and it is expected to improve the quality of life for patients suffering from seasonal allergies."

Around 30% of the world´s population show allergic symptoms and around 40%-80% of them show these symptoms in their eyes^[ii]. Allergic illnesses that affect the eyes constitute a heterogeneous group of illnesses and show a wide range of symptoms; reddening, itching, burning sensation, pain and even an intolerance to light (photophobia). However, ocular allergies can manifest themselves independently or in conjunction with other symptoms such as rhinitis or asthma^[iv].  

Sylentis, expert in the research of new treatments for ophthalmological and inflammatory illnesses, is a company leader in RNAi technology and it is one of the few companies in Europe that apply this technology to the field of ophthalmology.

What is RNA interference? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXvSitR5184

About Sylentis 

Sylentis, a company of PharmaMar PHM, is a biotechnology company fully owned that develops innovative therapies harnessing the technology of post-transcriptional gene silencing or RNA interference (RNAi). Sylentis has developed an approach to efficiently design RNAi-based therapeutics that can be used to silence numerous disease-causing genes. We currently have a robust therapeutic program in ophthalmology with two candidates under development in Phase II and III studies for glaucoma (bamosiran)^[v] and ocular pain (SYL1001)^[vi], respectively. Sylentis is also developing new products for the treatment of several eye diseases such as ocular allergies and retina diseases. To know more about us, please visit us at http://www.sylentis.com.

i. Gonzalez V, Paneda C, Martinez T, Guerra A, Monteiro S, Vargas B, Bleau AM, Ruz V, Jimenez AI. Development of a RNAi therapeutic for the treatment of allergic conjunctivitis. ARVO meeting abstracts. 2018. Available at: https://www.arvo.org/annual-meeting/program/online-planner
ii. Kari, O. and K.M. Saari, Updates in the treatment of ocular allergies. J Asthma Allergy, 2010. 3: p. 149-58
iii. Bielory, L., K.W. Lien, and S. Bigelsen, Efficacy and tolerability of newer antihistamines in the treatment of allergic conjunctivitis. Drugs, 2005. 65(2): p. 215-28.
iv. Leonardi, A., L. Motterle, and M. Bortolotti, Allergy and the eye. Clin Exp Immunol, 2008. 153 Suppl 1: p. 17-21
v. Moreno-Montañes J, Sádaba B, Ruz V, Gomez-Guiu A, Zarranz J, Gonzalez MV, Pañeda C, Jimenez AI. Phase I Clinical Trial of SYL040012, A Small Interfering RNA Targeting β-Adrenergic Receptor 2, for Lowering Intraocular Pressure. Mol Ther. 2014, 22(1):226-32
vi. https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03108664?term=helix+sylentis&rank=1 (April, 2018) 

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SOURCE PharmaMar