Professor Donghyun Kim of the Department of Ophthalmology at Korea University Anam Hospital demonstrated the therapeutic efficacy of a new inflammatory ocular disease treatment, RCI001, in Sjogren's syndrome.
Sjogren's syndrome is an autoimmune disease characterized by chronic inflammation of the salivary and lacrimal glands, resulting in dry mouth and dry eye.
It primarily occurs in the elderly, and as there is currently no fundamental cure, only symptomatic treatments are used.
To treat dry eye caused by Sjogren's syndrome, anti-inflammatory agents such as artificial tears, topical corticosteroids, cyclosporin A, and lifitegrast are used, but they have limited effectiveness or poor ocular comfort upon instillation.
In particular, steroids carry risks of elevated intraocular pressure and cataracts with long-term use, while cyclosporin A and lifitegrast are known to cause burning and stinging upon instillation. Therefore, there is a need for new treatments with excellent anti-inflammatory effects and favorable ocular comfort.
RCI001, jointly developed by RudaCure and Hanlim Pharmaceutical, is a novel topical eye drop formulation that has been confirmed to have simultaneous anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activity through TRPV1 downstream signal modulation.
In this study, a Sjogren's syndrome model was established by injecting botulinum toxin into the lacrimal glands of mice, and RCI001 was administered topically for 14 days to evaluate its effects. The results showed significant improvement in tear volume, corneal epithelial damage, and conjunctival goblet cell density.
Professor Kim stated, "RCI001 demonstrates meaningful therapeutic potential not only for general dry eye disease but also for autoimmune-related dry eye such as Sjogren's syndrome, and further clinical development is anticipated."
