YD Life Science said Monday that it submitted a phase 2a clinical trial application for YD-312, diabetic macular edema (DME) treatment, in the United States.

DME is a typical complication of diabetic patients. The disease occurs after an accumulation of fluid in the macula due to diabetic retinopathy. If left untreated, DME may cause blindness. The global market for DME is increasing every year, with a global market size estimated to reach 4 trillion won ($3.7 billion) by 2019.

The company plans to develop its oral DME treatment with the clinical and safety data provided during its pre-clinical trials. Currently, phase 2 clinical trials are underway in 11 Korean hospitals.

The company has recently attempted to conduct more trials globally and registered more than 85 percent of patents in major overseas markets such as the U.S., Europe, Japan and Canada.

“As a result of striving to develop innovative drugs required by the global market, we have made an investigational new drug (IND) applications, which will also serve as a good opportunity to demonstrate our ability to develop new drugs globally,” YD Life Science CEO Lee Jin-woo said. “The company will do its best during both the approval process and the successful completion of overseas phase 2a clinical trials.”

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