Retinitis Pigmentosa Clinical Trials 2023

What is Retinitis Pigmentosa?

Retinitis Pigmentosa is an inherited progressive eye disease that makes the cells in the retina – the part of the eye that receives the light and then converts to signal for visual recognition - break down over time, causing vision loss.

Retinitis Pigmentosa affects the retina’s ability to respond to light, and its first symptom is usually night blindness. As it is a progressive disorder, it first affects the peripheral vision and then eventually the central vision which soon leads to complete vision loss. Retinitis Pigmentosa is a group of disorders that gradually causes visual loss and not just a single entity. The disease was initially described in 1853 as a clinical entity but was only given its name in 1857.

Why is Retinitis Pigmentosa Being Studied in Clinical Trials?

Around 1 out of every 3,000 individuals have a hereditary visual loss from this condition. Retinitis Pigmentosa currently has no cure since it is a genetic disorder, but rehabilitation and the help of visual aids can help people with RP with their visions. Even though it is hard to come up with a singular treatment because RP has more than 100 genes that cause it, clinical trials are still ongoing to fully understand this disease. Some doctors may recommend taking vitamin A to slow down vision denigration, but there’s not enough evidence that proves this. Many therapies are still being tested, but it’ll still be years before they’ll be available for patients.

How Does Retinitis Clinical Trials Work?

Retinitis Pigmentosa clinical trials aim to provide vision to people who have completely lost their vision and help in slowing down the degeneration of the retinal cells. Most clinical trials require a longer period of time to be proven effective, and in Retinitis Pigmentosa’s case, it will require a lot of time because treatment needs to target a lot of factors that affect the degeneration of the cell in one single product.

What are Some Key Breakthrough Clinical Trials Involving Retinitis Pigmentosa?

Clinical trials on a treatment for Retinitis Pigmentosa are ongoing due to the different genes that contribute to this disease. Here is an example of a breakthrough clinical trial on retinitis pigmentosa:

2013: This is a study about Argus(®) II Retinal Prosthesis System (Second Sight Medical Products), a device mechanism with a camera attached to the patient's glasses, a video processing unit (VPU), and an epiretinal microelectrode array implanted into the secondary antenna of the eye. The challenge encountered in this system is that the patients who receive this device have little or no vision; thus, it can take months to fully adapt. This is significant because Argus(®) II Retinal Prosthesis System (Second Sight Medical Products) is the first of its kind that received regulatory approval from authorities in the USA and Europe. When it was introduced to the market, it dramatically improved conditions for patients with retinitis pigmentosa. The device improved patient function in terms of mobility, target localization, orientation, reading letters, and even shape and object recognition.

Who are the Key Opinion Leaders on Retinitis Pigmentosa Clinical Trial Research?

Professor Jean Benette is a Professor in Ophthalmology at the University of Pennsylvania. She is the first woman who invented Luxturna-the first gene therapy that is approved in the United States.

Professor Eric A. Pierce is a Director of the Ocular Genomics Institute at Harvard University. He dedicated his time to understanding the molecular mechanism of Inherited retinal degenerations and therapeutic interventions. He is one of the associates of Professor Jean Bennette in studying the effects of Luxturna.

Mark S. Humayan is an Executive Committee and Board Member of ASRS. He devoted 25 years to Argus Retinal Prosthetic research and development. He leads the development of the Argus II retinal prosthesis.

Top Hospital for Retinitis Pigmentosa Treatments

Retinitis Pigmentosa clinical trials are ongoing, and there are several Hospitals that researched this condition. Power’s data revealed that the Retina Foundation of the Southwest, located in Dallas, Texas seven (7) active retinitis pigmentosa clinical trials, making it the top hospital for retinitis pigmentosa treatments. They have accumulated 17 trials ever since they started their very first clinical trial in 2004. Retina Foundation of the Southwest is a non-profit vision research institute dedicated to preventing loss and restoring sight. Retina Foundation of the Southwest was established in 1982, and since then, the foundation has been the epicenter for vision research in the southwest region.

Another Hospital that carries out clinical trials for Retinitis Pigmentosa is the Vitreo Retinal Associates in Gainesville, Florida. Vetreo Associates is a group of medical practitioners specializing in Ophthalmology and Vitreoretinal Diseases and Surgery.

To know more about hospitals that cater clinical trials for Retinitis Pigmentosa, check the table below.

Top Treatments For Retinitis Pigmentosa Clinical Trials

Clinical Trials for Retinitis Pigmentosa treatments are still ongoing, and one of the latest treatments is the N-acetylcysteine. N-acetylcysteine or NAC comes from the amino acid L-cysteine which is a building block of protein. NAC is a widely used medicine that is used as an anti-inflammatory and antioxidant. NAC in Retinitis Pigmentosa reduces oxidative damage and increases cone function that has degenerated because of mutation. Other treatments are listed below.

Top Cities for Retinitis Pigmentosa Clinical Trials

Retinitis Pigmentosa treatments are being tested in different countries. Dallas, Texas, where the Retina Foundation of the Southwest is located with seventeen (17) total clinical trials. Florida and Michigan have a total of three (3) active trails. See the list below for top cities that cater Retinitis Pigmentosa clinical trials.

Which Phases are Most Popular For Retinitis Pigmentosa Clinical Trials?

According to Power’s data, the phase 2 clinical trial treatment for Retinitis Pigmentosa is the most popular. One study in phase 2 is the OCU400 given in high doses to assess the safety level of dosage that can be given to the patient. See more clinical trials in varying phases to see what’s most popular.

How many retinitis pigmentosa clinical trials are open to youth and/or seniors?

Power has listed clinical trials of various ages. See the table below to know the number of active lists for clinical trials that suit your age.

Phase 3 Retinitis Pigmentosa Clinical Trials

In studying medical treatments, Having promising results in the early phases gives hope to at least addressing one factor that affects vision blindness. See the list below for clinical trials in phase 3.

Pediatric Retinitis Pigmentosa Clinical Trials

Some of the onset stages of Retinitis Pigmentosa are in the childhood stage. See the list below for clinical trials for pediatric patients.

Senior Friendly Retinitis Pigmentosa Clinical Trials

There are treatments that could be harmful to different ages. The list below contains clinical trial treatments recommended for seniors.

Recently Completed Studies With FDA Approved Treatments for Retinitis Pigmentosa

Before every treatment can be sold on the market, it has to be approved by the Food and Drug Administration. The Human Retinal Progenitor cell sponsored by jCyte has been recently approved by the FDA.