Aerpio Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Cincinnati, said the first patient was dosed in its 150-patient TIME-2b phase IIb trial testing AKB-9778 in patients with moderate to severe nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy. Patients in the trial will receive AKB-9778 15 mg subcutaneously once daily, AKB-9778 15 mg twice daily, or placebo for 12 months. The primary endpoint is the percentage of patients who improve by at least two steps in Diabetic Retinopathy Severity Score. AKB-9778 is an inhibitor of the intracellular domain of VE-PTP. (See BioWorld Today, March 17, 2017.)