A phase III trial of bevasiranib, a treatment for wet age-related macular degeneration and the most advanced RNAi drug candidate in human testing, has been halted early after being deemed "unlikely" to meet its primary endpoint, the therapy's developer said last week.

According to Opko Health, the trial's independent data-monitoring committee had recommended ending the study after reviewing preliminary data, which "showed activity of bevasiranib … [but] indicated that the trial, as structured, was unlikely to meet its primary endpoint."