11:16 AM EDT, 05/31/2024 (MT Newswires) -- Ocugen ( OCGN ) said Friday the Data and Safety Monitoring Board has recommended to proceed with dose escalation in the trial of OCU410, its potential therapy for geographic atrophy, an advanced stage of dry age-related macular degeneration.

"The DSMB has recommended to proceed with dosing subsequent GA subjects with the high dose of OCU410 in the dose-expansion phase of the study and concurrently initiate Phase 2 dosing," said Peter Chang, chair for the OCU410 clinical trial.

"No serious adverse events...have been reported to date in both low- and medium-dose cohorts," Chang said. "This marks a critical next step towards determining the maximum tolerated dose for OCU410 and is an important milestone for its clinical development."

An additional three patients will be given the high dose of OCU410 in the dose-escalation phase, the company said.

Shares of the company were advancing more than 5% in recent trading.

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