Ocumension Therapeutics Strengthens Pipeline for Posterior Segment Eye Diseases

Ocumension Therapeutics announced that the company has entered into a collaboration and exclusive promotion agreement with Shandong Boan Biological Technology, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Luye Pharma Group, to jointly develop OT-702 (LY09004), a biosimilar to Eylea (aflibercept). Ocumension has been granted the exclusive right to promote and commercialize OT-702 in China (for the purpose of the agreement, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan are not included). OT-702 is in phase 3 clinical trial and is the company’s third line product to enter phase 3 in China.

OT-702 is a recombinant human vascular endothelial growth factor receptor antibody fusion protein ophthalmic injection (a biosimilar to Eylea (aflibercept)). OT-702 will be used to treat patients with wet AMD, macular edema following retinal vein occlusion (RVO), diabetic macular edema (DME), and diabetic retinopathy (DR). As a soluble trapping receptor, OT-702 can bind to cytokines such as VEGF-A, VEGF-B and P1GF, inhibit the downstream signaling pathway of VEGFR, inhibit neovascularization, and reduce vascular permeability, thereby treating pathological neovascularization of the retina and choroid eye diseases. The head-to-head comparison of OT-702 to Eylea showed a high degree of similarity in both physical and chemical properties and biological activities. Phase 1 clinical trial showed that OT-702 has a good safety and tolerability profile with no signs of serious adverse reactions.

“With the aging of China’s population and a growing number of diabetes patients, the need to provide effective treatments for diseases such as wet AMD and DME continues to increase as untreated eye disease can cause deterioration in vision and in some cases blindness. We are pleased to enter into the R&D and commercial cooperation of OT-702 with Luye Pharma,” Ye Liu, the Executive Director and CEO of Ocumension Therapeutics, said in a company news release. “OT-702 complements and strengthens the company’s posterior eye product line. It will also be used to form a McAb + fusion protein pipeline combination with OT-701 (a similar drug of raizumab) to fully cover anti-VEGF drugs for macular lesions. We will work with Luye Pharma to advance the clinical research and commercialization of OT-702 in order to deliver high quality domestic drugs to Chinese middle-aged and elderly patients with macular disease as soon as possible.”