Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the most common cause of blindness in developed countries. There are two stages of the disease, early stage and late stage. Late stage leads to loss of vision and blindness.

The disease manifests itself as either Neovascular AMD (wet) or as Geographic Atrophy AMD (dry). There is currently no intervention for Geographic Atrophy, nor any treatment to prevent the progression of early stage AMD to late stage AMD.

Genes – encoding Complement System cascade components – are strongly implicated in AMD pathogenesis, particularly in Geographic Atrophy.

Given that patients with Geographic Atrophy mediated by the Complement System can be identified by genetic testing, the problem is not one of diagnosis but of failure to date to develop treatments with the desired therapeutic effects. It is this failure that Complement Therapeutics is addressing.

By 2023 it is predicted that some 66 million people will suffer from one of the two forms of AMD (based on a Compound Annual Growth Rate of 1.85% in the world’s seven major markets).

Geographic Atrophy, with no currently licensed treatment, is estimated to affect some 2.6 million people. Market reports forecast the Geographic Atrophy therapeutic market to reach $2.7 billion by 2025 demonstrating the readiness of the market to pay for efficacious treatments.