Pinguecula
What is Pinguecula?
Pinguecula is a round, yellowish, elevated tissue that develops on the conjunctiva adjacent to the cornea. Pinguecula prevalence increases with UV exposure and increasing age. Histologically, pinguecula is comparable to pterygium, except for the absence of neovascularization, hyperemia and corneal involvement. When the lesion becomes vascularized and/or inflamed, it can produce symptoms of ocular discomfort, pain, foreign body sensation, tearing, itching and redness.
Current Treatment
At present, there is no drug for pinguecula approved by the FDA.
Surgery and argon laser photocoagulation are common treatment methods for pinguecula. However, scarring, conjunctival bleeding and post-surgery recurrence hinders the efficacy of these approaches .
Lubricating eye drops may be prescribed for those with mild vascularized pinguecula to relieve dry eye irritation and foreign body sensation.
For more severe pinguecula, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or steroid eye drops are sometimes used off-lable. However, these off-label drugs are either not effective or not safe for prolonged use. For instance, topical corticosteroid use is limited due to the concern for ocular complications such as glaucoma and cataract. Therefore, there is an unmet medical need to develop a drug to reduce pinguecula vascularity and relieve symptoms.
Cloudbreak Solution
We formulated a potent VEGFR/PDGFR inhibitor into topical eye drops to treat pinguecula following 505b(2) regulatory pathway.
Source: 1. Mudhar HS. Update on conjunctival pathology. Indian J Ophthalmol. 2017 Sep;65(9):797-807.
