Yuyu Pharmaceuticals said Thursday that it has received approval from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety to go ahead with domestic phase 1 clinical trials for YY-101, a peptide-based dry eye treatment.

Dry eye syndrome is a common eye condition, in which the eye surface gets damaged due to insufficient tear production or excessive tear evaporation. The number of patients suffering from the disorder is on the rise because of the increase of computers, smart devices, air conditioners, and heaters.

Inje University Paik Hospital plans to conduct a randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled phase 1 clinical trials on 28 healthy adult male volunteers to test the drug’s safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetic properties. The hospital also conducted pre-clinical trials before the approval.

The Korea Evaluation Institute of Industrial Technology under the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy selected the drug as a promising bio-IP business promotion project.

“YY-101 is a new peptide-based drug that has confirmed its efficacy and safety in preclinical testing,” said Baek Tae-gon, head of research at the company. “The company plans to accelerate the speed of new drug development with the phase 1 clinical trial approval.”

The ministry also approved phase 3 clinical trials on YY-201, the company’s benign prostatic hypertrophy combined treatment, on March 9.