SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., June 25, 2009 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- OXiGENE, Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing novel therapeutics to treat cancer and eye diseases, announced that the Company has initiated a Phase 2 study of its vascular disrupting agent (VDA) drug candidate ZYBRESTAT for ophthalmology in patients with polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV). PCV is a form of choroidal neovascularization characterized by the growth of abnormal blood vessels in the back of the eye and is similar to wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Current therapies active against wet AMD appear to have limited benefits in patients with PCV, and OXiGENE believes the abnormal vasculature in the retina and choroid that contributes to PCV patients’ loss of vision may be susceptible to treatment with ZYBRESTAT.
