Kissei gives up on dry eye drug

Japanese drugmaker Kissei Pharmaceutical (TYO: 4547) has decided to discontinue the development of KCT-0809, a therapeutic drug for dry eye associated with Sjögren's syndrome.

Kissei has been jointly developing the drug with Teika Pharmaceutical, a fellow Japanese firm which holds the use patent for ozagrel, an active ingredient of KCT-0809.

The failure of a Phase III study to demonstrate the expected efficiency of the treatment led Kissei to discuss its future with Teika, and then to make the decision to discontinue its development.