Pharmos Corp. announced Thursday that it has completed a Phase IItrial of a submicron emulsion (SME) formulation of pilocarpine in 60glaucoma patients. The study indicated that the agent, Pilocarpine-SME, was able to reduce subjects' intraocular pressure by 6mm ofmercury, or approximately 25 percent, according to the company.The drug was administered twice daily for seven days.

Pilocarpine is a standard therapy for glaucoma. The company's SMEformulation is intended to reduce side effects and provide slowrelease, allowing fewer applications than standard pilocarpine andthus increasing patient compliance. Pharmos said Pilocarpine-SMEgiven twice daily produced similar reductions in intraocular pressureas pilocarpine given four times daily. Brow-ache, a common sideeffect of pilocarpine, was not observed in patients taking Pilocarpine-SME, the New York company added.

Pilocarpine-SME, which entered Phase II testing in 1992, is thecompany's lead product using the SME technology. Pharmos said itsSME formulations increase the solubility of lipophilic drugs in tissue,sustaining the drugs' release and reducing toxicity withoutdecreasing pharmacologic activity.--Karl Thiel

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