LEUVEN, Belgium, March 1, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

ThromboGenics NV (Euronext Brussels: THR), an integrated biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing innovative treatments for back of the eye disease, will host an "R&D Investor Meeting" in London focused on diabetic eye disease.

The meeting is intended for institutional investors and sell-side analysts and will feature clinical insights and expert views on diabetic eye disease, current treatments and key areas of unmet medical needs, provided by international experts:  

• Prof Dr Reinier  Schlingemann, Principal Investigator at the Medical Retina Unit and Ocular Angiogenesis Group, Department Of Ophthalmology at the AMC in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, and
• Prof Dr Alan Stitt, Centre Director of the Centre for Experimental Medicine, School of Medicine, Dentistry and Biomedical Sciences at Queen's University Belfast, Ireland.

ThromboGenics CEO, Dr Patrik De Haes and senior members of ThromboGenics' management team will provide an update of the Company's strategy, its diabetic eye disease portfolio and its development plans.

Dr Patrik De Haes, CEO of ThromboGenics, commenting on today's announcement, "This IR event is a great opportunity to outline for the first time the significant progress we have made in building an exciting drug development pipeline focused on diabetic eye disease. With the support of both Profs Schlingemann and Stitt we intend to explain how our novel pipeline products can address a number of the most pressing unmet medical needs of patients with diabetic eye disease."

The event will take place on Friday, 18 March 2016 from 14:00 to 16:30 GMT at the offices of Citigate Dewe Rogerson's offices, 3 London Wall Buildings, London EC2M 5SY.

To reserve a place, please emailthrombogenics@citigatedr.co.uk .

About Diabetic Retinopathy 

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), in 2014, 9% of adults 18 years and older had diabetes (WHO, 2015) World Health Organization (WHO). (2015). Diabetes. Fact sheet N°312. http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs312/en/ 21 May 2015.

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is the leading cause of visual disability and blindness among professionally active adults (Cunha-Vaz, 1998; Fong et al., 1999). Worldwide, the prevalence rate of vision-threatening PDR or DME was estimated to be 11.72% of the diabetic population in 2010 (Yau et al., 2012).

DR progresses from mild, non-proliferative to more severe or even proliferative stages. As DR progresses, there is a gradual closure of retinal vessels leading to impaired perfusion and retinal ischemia. When this progresses beyond certain thresholds, severe non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR) is diagnosed.

The more advanced stage, PDR, is characterized by the development of new blood vessels at the inner surface of the retina as a result of retinal ischemia. These new vessels are prone to bleed, resulting in vitreous hemorrhage. These new vessels may also undergo fibrosis and contraction, which may lead to epiretinal membrane formation, vitreoretinal traction bands, retinal tears and traction or retinal detachments.

PDR is considered high risk when the new vessels are accompanied by vitreous hemorrhage, or when they cover a significant area of the optic disc, even in the absence of vitreous hemorrhage, Patients with high risk PDR are at high risk of severe vision loss. The current treatment standard for PDR patients is laser photocoagulation (PRP) therapy. Lately, an increasing role for anti-VEGF treatments has also been demonstrated.

PDR patients may still progress to severe vision loss or even complete vision loss resulting from persistent or recurrent disease, even when receiving recurrent pan-retinal photocoagulation (PRP). In addition, recurrent treatment with PRP may lead to complications such as visual field loss or worsening of macular edema. Bailey CC, Sparrow JM, Grey RH, Cheng H (1999). The National Diabetic Retinopathy Laser Treatment Audit. III. Clinical outcomes. Eye (Lond) 13 (Pt 2): 151-159. Fong DS, Ferris FL 3rd, Davis MD, Chew EY (1999). Causes of severe visual loss in the early treatment diabetic retinopathy study: ETDRS report no. 24. Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study Research Group. Am J Ophthalmol. 127 (2): 137-141.

About ThromboGenics 

ThromboGenics is an integrated biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing innovative treatments for back of the eye disease, with a focus on diabetic eye disease.

ThromboGenics pioneered the new drug category of pharmacological vitreolysis with JETREA® (ocriplasmin) which is now approved for the treatment of vitreomacular traction in over 54 countries worldwide. In the US, ThromboGenics is commercializing JETREA® via its subsidiary ThromboGenics, Inc.  Alcon, a division of Novartis, commercializes JETREA® outside the United States.  

ThromboGenics is conducting the CIRCLE study, a Phase II clinical trial to assess ocriplasmin as a potential treatment for diabetic retinopathy In addition the Company is evaluating several other drug candidates that could potentially deliver a number of next generation treatments for diabetic eye disease.

ThromboGenics is headquartered in Leuven, Belgium, and is listed on the NYSE Euronext Brussels exchange under the symbol THR.

More information is available at http://www.thrombogenics.com

Important information about forward-looking statements 

Certain statements in this press release may be considered "forward-looking". Such forward-looking statements are based on current expectations, and, accordingly, entail and are influenced by various risks and uncertainties. The Company therefore cannot provide any assurance that such forward-looking statements will materialize and does not assume an obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or any other reason. Additional information concerning risks and uncertainties affecting the business and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from any forward-looking statement is contained in the Company's Annual Report. 

This press release does not constitute an offer or invitation for the sale or purchase of securities or assets of ThromboGenics in any jurisdiction.  No securities of ThromboGenics may be offered or sold within the United States without registration under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or in compliance with an exemption therefrom, and in accordance with any applicable U.S. state securities laws. 

For further information please contact:

ThromboGenics

Wouter Piepers,
Global Head of Corporate Communications & IR
+32-16-75-13-10 / +32-478-33-56-32
wouter.piepers@thrombogenics.com

Citigate Dewe Rogerson

David Dible/Sylvie Berrebi
Tel: +44-20-7282-2867 / +44-20-7282-1052
david.dible@citigatedr.co.uk
Sylvie.berrebi@citigatedr.co.uk

SOURCE ThromboGenics