OKYO Pharma Ltd (NASDAQ:OKYO) announced that its lead asset, OK-101, has been granted the United States Adopted Name (USAN) "urcosimod."
The company said the designation reinforces its progress in developing treatments for unmet medical needs in ophthalmology, such as neuropathic corneal pain (NCP) and inflammatory dry eye disease (DED).
The suffix “-mod” in urcosimod classifies it as a modulator of key inflammatory and neuropathic pathways, a distinction that aligns with its mechanism of action in reducing ocular pain and inflammation.
Urcosimod (OK-101) is developed using OKYO Pharma’s lipid-conjugated small molecule platform, which targets G-protein coupled receptors in the eye. This novel approach enables precise modulation of inflammation and pain, setting urcosimod apart from conventional treatments in ophthalmology.
OKYO Pharma initiated a Phase 2 clinical trial of urcosimod for neuropathic corneal pain in October 2024, with top-line results expected in Q4 2025.
Dr Gary Jacob, OKYO Pharma CEO, said this trial follows encouraging results observed in an earlier Phase 2 trial of urcosimod for dry eye disease, where it demonstrated pain-reducing effects and a favorable safety profile.
“Neuropathic corneal pain is a debilitating condition for which there are currently no FDA-approved treatments,” Dr Jacob said.
“We believe urcosimod’s dual anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties uniquely position it to address both the symptoms and the underlying causes of this condition. With the USAN name granted, we are further cementing the path forward for this promising therapeutic candidate.”