Merck (NYSE: MRK), known as MSD outside of the United States and Canada, and EyeBio, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, N.J., USA announced the initiation of the Phase 2b/3 BRUNELLO trial evaluating Restoret™ (MK-3000, formerly EYE103) for the treatment of diabetic macular edema (DME).

MK-3000 is an investigational, potentially first-in-class tetravalent, tri-specific antibody that acts as an agonist of the Wingless-related integration site (Wnt) signaling pathway. The initiation of the BRUNELLO trial is based on results from the open-label, Phase 1/2 AMARONE study of MK-3000 in patients with DME and neovascular age-related macular degeneration (NVAMD).

“Data from the Phase 1/2 AMARONE study provided early evidence for the potential of MK-3000 for patients with retinal disease,” said Dr. David Guyer, founder, chief executive officer and president of EyeBio. “The initiation of the BRUNELLO trial marks an important milestone as we work with our new colleagues at Merck, driven by the common purpose to deliver new, much needed options for patients with diabetic macular edema.