# A Phase IIa Multicenter, Randomized, Vehicle-Controlled, Dose Escalating Study to Evaluate the Safety, Efficacy, and Pharmacokinetics of CBT-001 Ophthalmic Solution in Patients With Primary or Recurrent Pterygium

## TL;DR

A clinical trial tested CBT-001 eyedrops for pterygia, finding it reduced lesion vascularity and length with minimal side effects.

## Contribution

This study demonstrates the safety and efficacy of CBT-001 ophthalmic solution in treating pterygia through a phase IIa trial.

## Key findings

- CBT-001 0.2% significantly reduced pterygium vascularity scores compared to vehicle after 4 weeks of treatment.
- The drug showed a prolonged effect on vascularity reduction at weeks 8 and 16, though not at week 24.
- CBT-001 was well tolerated with minimal systemic absorption and mild, transient ocular side effects.

## Abstract

To evaluate the safety and efficacy of CBT-001, a multitarget tyrosine kinase inhibitor eyedrop, for pterygia.

Phase II clinical trial. Stage 1 was a single center, open-labeled, vehicle-controlled study. Stage 2 was a multicenter, randomized, double-masked, vehicle-controlled trial.

Patients with primary or recurrent pterygia.

The primary efficacy end point was lesion vascularity based on masked grading of photographs by an independent reading center. Other end points included dimensions of pterygia and safety.

In stage 1, 24 eyes of 24 patients received 1 drop of CBT-001 in a dose escalation fashion (0.02%, 0.05%, and 0.2%) to determine the maximally tolerated dose based on adverse events (AEs) and blood drug levels. In stage 2, subjects were randomly assigned to receive the maximally tolerated dose of CBT-001 or vehicle dosed 3 times a day for 4 weeks with a 20-week follow-up.

In stage 1, the plasma maximum concentration values for all doses of CBT-001 were at or below the limit of detection (0.01 ng/ml). The most commonly reported AEs were mild foreign body sensation and irritation. CBT-001 0.2% was evaluated in stage 2. Baseline demographic characteristics were similar between patients receiving CBT-001 (n = 25) and vehicle (n = 23). After 4 weeks of dosing, the mean change from baseline in pterygium vascularity scores was −0.8 ± 0.7 (mean ± standard deviation) in subjects receiving CBT-001 0.2% and 0.0 ± 0.5 in subjects receiving vehicle (P < 0.001; 95% confidence interval: −1.12, −0.40). Pterygium vascularity scores remained significantly decreased, after the 4-week dosing period, at weeks 8 and 16, but not at week 24. The mean changes from baseline in the length of the pterygia were also significantly lower in subjects receiving CBT-001 compared with vehicle at weeks 2, 4, and 8 (P ≤ 0.014). The most commonly reported AEs were ocular, mild in severity, resolved after therapy, and did not result in discontinuation.

CBT-001 0.2% decreased pterygia vascularity and lesion length after 4 weeks of dosing with a prolonged effect after dosing. The drug was well tolerated with minimal detected systemic drug levels.

Proprietary or commercial disclosure may be found in the Footnotes and Disclosures at the end of this article.