EyePoint Pharmaceuticals Announces Expanded License Agreement With Betta Pharmaceuticals 

EyePoint Pharmaceuticals, Inc. recently announced the execution of a license agreement with Betta Pharmaceuticals Co. Ltd. to develop and commercialize EYP-1901 in Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan. This agreement expands the collaboration between EyePoint and Equinox Sciences, LLC, a Betta Pharmaceuticals affiliate, which was established in February 2020. Under the terms of the new agreement between EyePoint and Betta Pharmaceuticals, which were previously contemplated under the February 2020 vorolanib license agreement between EyePoint and Equinox Sciences, Betta Pharmaceuticals receives exclusive rights to develop and commercialize EYP-1901 in China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan. EyePoint will retain global ophthalmic rights for EYP-1901 in the rest of the world.

Concurrently, EyePoint and Equinox Sciences have executed an amendment to their February 2020 license agreement, expanding EyePoint’s exclusive rights to develop and commercialize vorolanib, a tyrosine kinase inhibitor, through localized delivery for the treatment of all ophthalmic diseases, including DME, outside of the Territory.

“There has been significant unmet need for treatments like EYP-1901 for patients in China, and this expanded partnership with Betta enables us to accelerate EYP-1901’s clinical development as we build our strategic reach into this critically important region. With Betta’s proven execution in the Chinese market, we are confident they will continue to be a strong partner as we work to bring this potentially best-in-class treatment to patients suffering from serious eye diseases all around the world,” said Nancy Lurker, President and Chief Executive Officer of EyePoint Pharmaceuticals. “In addition, we are pleased to have expanded our rights to local delivery of vorolanib for all ophthalmology, including DME, and look forward to exploring the potential of EYP-1901 in this indication in future trials.”

“In both the US and China, wet AMD is a leading cause of blindness, and EyePoint’s sustained intraocular drug delivery technology represents a potentially paradigm-shifting innovation in our efforts to treat this debilitating eye disease,” said Lieming Ding, MD, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Betta Pharmaceuticals. “We are excited to expand our existing partnership with EyePoint and their leading pipeline of retinal-focused medicines, as we work to transform the global standard of care and improve patient lives.”

Diabetic macular edema (DME) is a severe sight-threatening complication of diabetic retinopathy that affects nearly 750,000 people in the US and 21 million people globally. This retinal condition is a disease affecting the macula, the part of the retina responsible for central vision, and it associated with blindness when left untreated. The prevalence of DME is expected to increase as the prevalence of diabetes increases, and there remains a significant unmet need for more effective, longer-lasting therapies for people living with DME.

EYP-1901 is being developed as an investigational sustained delivery treatment, initially in wet age-related macular degeneration (wet AMD), combining a bioerodible formulation of EyePoint’s proprietary Durasert delivery technology with vorolanib, a tyrosine kinase inhibitor. Positive interim 8-month safety and efficacy data from the ongoing DAVIO Phase 1 clinical trial of EYP-1901 show no reports of ocular or drug-related systemic SAEs and no dose limiting toxicities with stable visual acuity and OCT. Further, 53% and 41% of eyes did not require any supplemental anti-VEGF injections up to 6 and 9 months, respectively, following a single dose of EYP-1901. Phase 2 clinical trials are planned for wet AMD in Q3 2022 and in diabetic retinopathy in 2H 2022. Vorolanib is licensed to EyePoint exclusively by Equinox Sciences for the localized treatment of all ophthalmic diseases, including diabetic macular edema.

EyePoint Pharmaceuticals is a pharmaceutical company committed to developing and commercializing therapeutics to help improve the lives of patients with serious eye disorders. The company’s pipeline leverages its proprietary Durasert technology for sustained intraocular drug delivery including EYP-1901, an investigational sustained delivery intravitreal anti-VEGF treatment initially targeting wet age-related macular degeneration. The proven Durasert drug delivery platform has been safely administered to thousands of patients’ eyes across four US FDA- approved products, including YUTIQ for the treatment of chronic non-infectious uveitis affecting the posterior segment of the eye, which is currently marketed by the company. EyePoint Pharmaceuticals is headquartered in Watertown, MA.