EyePoint Pharmaceuticals Announces Expanded License Agreement with Betta Pharmaceuticals for EYP-1901 in China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan
EyePoint Pharmaceuticals announced the execution of a license agreement with Betta Pharmaceuticals to develop and commercialize EYP-1901 in Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan. This agreement expands the collaboration between EyePoint and Equinox Sciences, 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 (the Territory). 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,” Nancy Lurker, President and Chief Executive Officer of EyePoint Pharmaceuticals, said in a company news release. “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 U.S. 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.”