pSivida Announces Evaluation Agreement for Protein/Antibody Delivery System


pSivida Corp. recently announced it has signed a funded technology evaluation agreement with a leading global biopharmaceutical company to evaluate pSivida’s Tethadur protein/antibody delivery technology in the field of ophthalmology.

Tethadur is an application of pSivida’s BioSilicon technology platform designed to provide sustained delivery of large biologic molecules, including proteins, antibodies, and peptides. Tethadur utilizes an injectable, bioerodible, nanostructured, porous BioSilicon material for drug delivery. The sizes of the pores in the BioSilicon material are manufactured using nanotechnology to accommodate specific protein, peptide, or antibody molecules that are then released on a sustained basis over time as the material bioerodes.

“This is our first commercial agreement for Tethadur, based on BioSilicon, our second key technology platform, following our three approved products utilizing our Durasert technology platform. We are very pleased to be entering into this evaluation agreement with a global leader in the field,” said Dr. Paul Ashton, President and CEO of pSivida Corp. “A sustained delivery system for these types of molecules would offer a significant clinical advance in the ophthalmic area where injections of protein based drugs into the eye every 1 or 2 months are sometimes required.”

pSivida has developed three of the four sustained-release devices for retinal diseases that have been approved in either the US or Europe, the most recent being ILUVIEN, partnered with Alimera and approved in multiple EU countries. Independently, pSivida is developing an injectable, sustained-release product to treat uveitis affecting the back of the eye (posterior uveitis) and an injectable, bioerodible product to treat glaucoma and ocular hypertension in collaboration with Pfizer.

pSivida Corp., headquartered in Watertown, MA, develops tiny, sustained-release, drug delivery products designed to deliver drugs at a controlled and steady rate for months or years. pSivida is currently focused on treatment of chronic diseases of the back of the eye utilizing its core technology systems, Durasert and BioSilicon. For more information, visit www.psivida.com.