EyeDura's Sustained-Release Eye Drop Technology Wins Industry Honors

EyeDura Therapeutics, developer of preservative-free sustained release ophthalmic therapies, announced it received top recognition at two major industry forums among a field of ophthalmic startup companies. EyeDura won 'The Winning Pitch' challenge at SightLine during the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ASCRS) conference and earned both the 'Judge’s Choice' and 'People's Choice' awards at the Octane Ophthalmology Technology Forum.

EyeDura's topical sustained release technology is designed to address two significant challenges in ophthalmic care, which are suboptimal patient compliance and high treatment cost. Conventional eye drop treatments often require multiple daily doses, contributing to compliance rates as low as 60 percent and increasing healthcare expenses. The EyeDura platform utilizes a lipid-based, high-viscosity formulation that integrates into the tear film's lipid layer. During blinking, the aqueous layer is selectively removed while the lipid layer and medication remain, creating a stable depot that delivers therapeutic levels for 7 days or longer from a single drop.

"These awards reflect the strength of our platform technology and the progress of our development efforts," said Srini Venkatesh, CEO of EyeDura. "The endorsement from both expert judges and industry peers reinforces that we're addressing pressing challenges in ophthalmic drug delivery, especially as we advance our lead program, EYED-002 for neurotrophic keratitis, toward IND submission in Q3 2026."

In addition to neurotrophic keratitis, EyeDura’s platform has demonstrated proof-of-concept for dry eye disease and has successfully delivered insulin and axitinib to treat posterior eye tissues, pointing to future applications for neuroprotection and age-related macular degeneration.

EyeDura is pursuing strategic collaborations with ophthalmic pharmaceutical partners interested in leveraging the platform for pipeline products and life cycle management. The company is also preparing for a $25 million Series A fundraise in 2026 to support advancement of its lead neurotrophic keratitis program.