Boehringer Ingelheim today presented positive data from the HORNBILL Phase I/IIa study of BI 764524, the first ever study exploring a potential treatment for people living with diabetic macular ischemia (DMI). The study found that BI 764524 was well tolerated following intravitreal administration of single and multiple doses, meeting its primary safety endpoints and showed early signs of potential efficacy.¹ 

DMI is a common, irreversible complication of diabetic retinopathy (DR) that may lead to blindness.^1,2,3,4­ It can develop when the light sensitive tissues of the central retina do not receive adequate blood supply over a longer time. There are currently no approved treatments for DMI. 

The current standard of care for advanced DR includes intravitreal anti-VEGF treatment or invasive laser treatment. However, some patients’ conditions progress despite this treatment.⁵ BI 764524 uses a novel mode of action by inhibiting the Sema3A pathway to re-vascularize ischemic areas and potentially overcome the limitations of anti-VEGF and laser treatments.¹ 

“The results from the HORNBILL study are really encouraging. They suggest there may be a pathway for earlier intervention that could decrease the risk of,  and maybe even prevent, people with diabetic retinopathy from developing irreversible and vision-threatening complications, such as DMI,” said Quan Dong Nguyen, MD, MSc, FARVO, FASRS, Professor of Ophthalmology at the Byers Eye Institute, Professor of Medicine and of Pediatrics at Stanford School of Medicine, and Principal and…