MeiraGTx announced an exclusive licensing agreement with the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, or NIDCR, a division of the National Institutes of Health, or NIH, an agency of the United States Department of Health & Human Services. Under the agreement, MeiraGTx will receive worldwide rights to adeno-associated virus vector mediated gene delivery of aquaporin-1, designated AAV-AQP1, for Sjogren’s syndrome patients with associated xerostomia or xerophthalmia. The license agreement includes standard and customary U.S. Government terms and provisions. MeiraGTx and the NIDCR are currently partnered in two cooperative research and development agreements, or CRADAs, one supporting preclinical work investigating AAV-AQP1 as a treatment for inadequate salivary gland function associated with Sjogren’s syndrome, and the other covering an ongoing Phase 1 dose escalation clinical study of AAV-AQP1 in patients with grade 2 or 3 radiation-induced xerostomia. Sjogren’s syndrome is a systemic autoimmune disorder that impairs one’s ability to secrete fluids such as saliva and tears. Symptoms include dry mouth, which can cause difficulty speaking, tasting food or swallowing, and dry eyes, which can be associated with itching, burning, blurry vision or intolerance to fluorescent lighting. Other serious symptoms can occur in Sjogren’s syndrome, such as fatigue and chronic pain or damage to major organs.
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