RNAi Enters the Clinic for Macular Degeneration

RNAi has quickly gained a stellar reputation for its utility as a research tool, but its potential to yield safe and effective drugs has yet to be proven. Acuity Pharmaceuticals took the industry's first step toward establishing a clinical foothold in October, when its Cand5 anti-VEGF siRNA entered Phase I trials in age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Sirna followed suit in late November with a Phase I trial of Sirna-027, its own siRNA targeting VEGFR-1. IP issues remain to be settled.