Aerie Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced dosing of the first patients enrolled in the Company's Phase 2b study of PG324, a novel, fixed-combination of Aerie's AR-13324 and latanoprost, a prostaglandin analogue that is the most widely prescribed glaucoma drug. The 28-day Phase 2b clinical trial is expected to enroll approximately 300 patients with glaucoma or ocular hypertension and will compare two concentrations of PG324 to latanoprost and to AR-13324, all dosed once daily. The efficacy endpoint will be superiority of PG324 to each of its components, as measured by the lowering of mean diurnal intraocular pressure (IOP) on Day 28 compared to baseline.

Topline results of this trial are currently expected in mid-2014. If approved, Aerie believes that PG324 would be the first glaucoma product to lower IOP through potentially four mechanisms of action: increasing fluid outflow through the trabecular pathway or primary drain, increasing fluid outflow through the uveoscleral pathway or secondary drain, reducing fluid production in the eye, and potentially also lowering episcleral venous pressure. The Company further believes that PG324, if approved, would be the only glaucoma product that covers the full spectrum of these IOP-lowering mechanisms, thereby providing a greater IOP-lowering effect than any currently approved glaucoma product.