Ocular Therapeutix (OCUL) Updates on Intravitreal Depot Tech Development Strategy for Retinal Diseases

Ocular Therapeutix, Inc. (Nasdaq: OCUL) provided an update on the Company’s development strategy for its sustained release intravitreal depot technology for the treatment of serious retinal diseases.

The Company is currently developing proprietary sustained-release hydrogel-based drug delivery depots for intravitreal injection that can be formulated with both small and large molecule pharmaceuticals, such as tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) and protein-based anti-vascular endothelial growth factors (VEGFs) respectively, with the goal of delivering sustained and therapeutic levels of drugs to targeted ocular tissues. The goal of the Company’s intravitreal depot dual development program is to reduce the frequency of injections that are currently the standard of care for the treatment of wet AMD, DME and other retinal diseases.

Accordingly, Ocular Therapeutix also announced today that it has entered into a strategic collaboration, option and license agreement with Regeneron Pharmaceuticals for the development of a sustained release formulation of Regeneron’s VEGF trap, aflibercept, for the treatment of wet age-related macular degeneration (wet AMD) and other serious retinal diseases. Regeneron’s aflibercept is currently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for certain indications under the brand name EYLEA®. Per the agreement, Ocular Therapeutix retains all rights to develop its sustained-release hydrogel-based drug delivery platform with all other non-VEGF targeting compounds as well as with small molecule pharmaceuticals, including TKIs, for other retinal diseases.

“In preclinical studies completed to date, we have demonstrated up to 6 months of sustained release of anti-VEGF drugs using our hydrogel-based drug delivery technology with a good safety profile,” stated Dr. Jon Talamo, Chief Medical Officer of Ocular Therapeutix. “A 4-6-month sustained release formulation has the potential to advance the current standard of care in wet AMD and other retinal diseases by significantly reducing injection frequency. We have also demonstrated minimal inflammatory response in vivo through 26 weeks with both our anti-VEGF protein and TKI depots currently in development. This technology represents an exciting development in the field of ophthalmology and we look forward to further advancing these programs.”

Presentation at 2016 Ophthalmology Innovation Summit (OIS)

Ocular Therapeutix has been selected to present during the Posterior Segment Company Showcase at the 2016 Ophthalmology Innovation Summit (OIS). Dr. Amar Sawhney, President, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman, will provide an overview of recent progress from the Company’s ongoing intravitreal depot development programs today, October 13, 2016 at 11:42am CDT at the Hyatt Regency Chicago Hotel in Chicago, Illinois.

Commonly referred to as OIS@AAO, the summit is held each year in conjunction with the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) Annual Meeting.

Conference Call & Webcast Information

Members of the Ocular Therapeutix management team will host a live conference call and webcast today at 8:30 am Eastern Time to discuss recent progress from the Company's intravitreal depot development programs, as well as the collaboration with Regeneron, which was also announced this morning.

The live webcast and accompanying slide presentation can be accessed by visiting the investor section of the Company’s website at investors.ocutx.com. Please connect at least 15 minutes prior to the live webcast to ensure adequate time for any software download that may be needed to access the webcast. Alternatively, please call 844-464-3934 (U.S.) or 765-507-2620 (International) to listen to the conference call. The conference ID number for the live call will be 98223266. An archive of the webcast will be available until October 27, 2016 on the Company’s website.

You May Also Be Interested In

• Texas Instruments (TXN) jumps as on earnings, revenue beat in fiscal Q1
• Knightscope (KSCP) Delivers On 9 New Deployments and Signs 2 New Contracts
• Fisker (FSR) files form 10-K, sees more job cuts, reiterates going concern doubts