EyePoint Sets its Sights on Developing Treatments Improving the Lives of Eye Disease Sufferers

Photo Credit: EyePoint Pharmaceuticals

The following post was written and/or published as a collaboration between Benzinga’s in-house sponsored content team and a financial partner of Benzinga.

Companies dedicated to improving the lives of the 2.2 billion people suffering from eye diseases are making incredible strides in developing new therapeutics. One of those companies, EyePoint Pharmaceuticals, Inc. EYPT, is progressing its pipeline – which is entirely focused on addressing the most serious disorders impacting eyesight – in part through the ongoing Phase 1 DAVIO trial of its proprietary EYP-1901. 

EYP-1901 is a potential twice-yearly sustained delivery implant delivered into the back of the eye (intravitreal) containing an anti-VEGF therapy being investigated for the treatment of wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Wet AMD is a chronic eye disorder resulting in blurred vision and blind spots caused by abnormal blood vessels that leak fluid or blood into the macula, which is the part of the retina responsible for central vision. The trial leverages a bioerodible formulation of EyePoint’s proprietary Durasert® sustained release technology with a clinically validated anti-VEGF molecule, vorolanib. Vorolanib is a tyrosine kinase inhibitor that blocks the vascular endothelial growth receptor (VEGR) which, if overactive, can cause microcapillaries in the eye to overgrow, leak and produce excess fluid which blurs the vision. Unlike currently available treatments for wet AMD that require monthly or bi-monthly eye injections at a physicians’ office, if approved, EYP-1901 may offer the first twice-yearly dosing option for this debilitating condition that lasts a lifetime. 

The Massachusetts-based EyePoint Pharmaceuticals currently has two commercial products to fight severe eye disorders: YUTIQ®, for the treatment of chronic non-infectious uveitis, which is an eyesight-threatening inflammatory disease affecting the back of the eye, and DEXYCU®, for the treatment of postoperative inflammation following ocular surgery, such as cataract surgery.

“Our technologies harness the power of delivering proven medications, but with less frequency – alleviating much of the disruption in patients' lives, as they typically have to travel to a retinal surgeon for frequent treatments. Our therapies, which offer much less frequent treatment than others currently available, can help with patients complying with their treatment for this serious eye disease and thus potentially save these patients’ vital eyesight,” said EyePoint President and CEO Nancy Lurker. “This is what fuels our work – the potential to help prevent blindness and enhance the quality of life for these patients.” 

EyePoint has made significant strides in its research this year, with substantial successes including:

• The company achieved a positive 30-day safety result for all doses from the DAVIO trial of EYP-1901 for wet AMD. The trial enrolled 17 wet AMD patients across 3 dose cohorts and, through at least 30-day post-dosing follow-up for all patients found no serious adverse ocular or systemic events and no reported adverse events related to significant intraocular inflammation. Inflammation can be a significant side effect of some of these wet AMD  therapies. There were also no reported adverse effects of declining vision, known as best-corrected visual acuity reduction or the elevation of eye pressure, known as intraocular pressure which can lead to glaucoma, and no occurrences of endophthalmitis, a potentially blinding inflammation, retinal detachment or migration into the front of the eye chamber.
   
• The company completed patient enrollment of its Phase 1 clinical trial of EYP-1901 as a potential twice-yearly sustained delivery anti-VEGF treatment targeting wet AMD. The ongoing Phase 1 DAVIO trial for EYP-1901 is an open-label 12-month dose-escalation trial examining wet AMD patients who were responsive to previous anti-VEGF therapies. The primary endpoint of the trial for the company is to achieve safety and critical secondary endpoints with change in best-corrected visual acuity and central subfield thickness (CST), a measure of the thickness of the macula, a part of the retina at the back of the eye. If the macula is diseased and starts to bulge from fluid buildup, it can impact the eyesight sharpness.
   
• Four products with multiple development programs were approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, including YUTIQ® (2018, EyePoint) - Posterior Segment Uveitis; ILUVIEN® (2014, Alimera) – Diabetic Macular Edema (DME); RETISERT® (2005, B&L) – Uveitis; and VITRASERT® (1996, B&L) – Cytomegalovirus (CMV) retinitis.

“We have an incredibly exciting, potentially paradigm-shifting pipeline that is entirely focused on bringing to life the mission that drives us at EyePoint: providing new solutions for the most debilitating, life-altering retinal diseases that can cause blindness,” Lurker added.

EyePoint’s research successes have also translated to positive financial trends for the company, which reported total net 2nd quarter revenue of $9 million, compared to $4.1 million for the same quarter in 2020. The company also reported cash and cash equivalents totaling $127.6 million at the end of Q2 2021 compared to $44.9 million on hand at the end of 2020, with the expectation that the cash on hand and future product sales will fund current and planned operations through the end of 2022.

To learn more about EyePoint, visit www.eyepointpharma.com.

The preceding post was written and/or published as a collaboration between Benzinga’s in-house sponsored content team and a financial partner of Benzinga. Although the piece is not and should not be construed as editorial content, the sponsored content team works to ensure that any and all information contained within is true and accurate to the best of their knowledge and research. This content is for informational purposes only and not intended to be investing advice.