KRx Ventures, LLC

#News Ocuphire Pharma is acquiring Opus Genetics. In connection with the merger, the combined company will be renamed Opus Genetics, Inc., effective October 23, 2024, and will trade on Nasdaq under the ticker symbol “IRD” effective October 24, 2024. Dr. George Magrath will continue as CEO, while Dr. Ben Yerxa will be the President of the new company. The combined company will have a late-stage eye drop and a pipeline of seven AAV-based gene therapies. Ocuphire shareholders will own about 58% of the combined company and Opus’ shareholders will get about 42%, according to the announcement. The combined company will have about 20 employees. Due to the capital requirements and developmental timelines of APX3330, an oral small-molecule inhibitor of Ref-1 for the treatment of non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy (#NPDR, #DR), the company will seek a strategic partner to advance the clinical development of the late-stage diabetic retinopathy program and will redirect its existing resources towards the acquired gene therapy programs. #Ophthalmology #EyeCare #eyes #optometry #biotech #MergersAndAcquisitions https://shorturl.at/E28YG

Researchers from Rice University and Baylor College of Medicine have demonstrated a groundbreaking treatment that eradicates advanced-stage #mesothelioma #tumors in mice within just a few days. This innovative approach combines Rice’s cytokine “drug factory” implants with a checkpoint inhibitor drug, showing promising results in preclinical trials. The treatment involves tiny drug-producing beads, each no larger than a pinhead, which are implanted near tumors. These beads continuously release high doses of interleukin-2 (IL-2), a natural compound that activates white blood cells to fight cancer. #IL2 https://shorturl.at/BmVfg

Stealth BioTherapeutics presented new #bevemipretide (SBT-272) preclinical data from a study demonstrating topical #ocular delivery to the #retina with protective effects observed in models of age-related macular degeneration (#AMD). The aim of the study was to evaluate ocular and systemic distribution of #topical bevemipretide and its potential protective effects in models of AMD. The study looked at bevemipretide, which targets the inner #mitochondrial membrane where it reversibly binds to cardiolipin. This improves mitochondrial function and reduces the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). This article was published in Ophthalmology Times. https://lnkd.in/g3bUHdKc Pic (c) Wikipedia

4D Molecular Therapeutics has shared details on the design of a planned registrational Phase III trial for 4D-150, its gene therapy candidate for wet age-related macular degeneration (#AMD). 4DMT is planning for investigators to compare a single dose of 4D-150 to standard care comprising a regimen of Regeneron Pharmaceuticals' #Eylea (#aflibercept) within the global study, dubbed 4FRONT. The study will measure patients' best-corrected visual acuity, with a primary endpoint of noninferiority between the two groups. The trial expects to enroll 500 wet AMD patients into the clinical trial, with the launch of the trial in Q1 2025. https://bit.ly/4gy69Py Carlos Quezada Ruiz Pic (c) AAO

Startup Eyebot aims to bring 21st-century #innovation to #vision care to make eye exams more #accessible to people. The company, founded in March 2021, develops kiosks, what the company called terminals, that perform automated, self-serve vision tests in as quickly as 90 seconds and can immediately provide prescriptions for corrective #eyewear. https://lnkd.in/gkda8gU3

Avirmax, Inc. will be starting a Phase 1/2a study soon utilizing its rAAV-mediated gene delivery system in patients with wet macular degeneration, including those with polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV). #AMD #wAMD #wetAMD #PCV #MacularDegeneration #GeneTherapy #gene #AAV #vector https://lnkd.in/gS3i5p52

Breaking News! Merck, through a subsidiary, will acquire all outstanding shares of EyeBio for up to $3 billion, including an upfront payment of $1.3 billion in cash and a further potential $1.7 billion in developmental, regulatory and commercial milestone payments. Acquisition includes Restore, a novel late-phase candidate for diabetic macular edema and neovascular age-related macular degeneration, as well as a preclinical pipeline targeting retinal diseases. #DME #diabetes #retinopathy #AMD #nAMD #MacularDegeneration #retina https://lnkd.in/erazsGCB

U.S. FDA last week qualified the American Academy of Ophthalmology’s patient-reported outcome measure for premium intraocular lenses (IOLs) as a Medical Device Development Tool (MDDT). The designation allows medical device sponsors to use the Academy’s Assessment of IntraOcular Lens Implant Symptoms (#AIOLIS) to clinically evaluate patients’ perception of visual disturbances following premium #IOL cataract surgery. This is the second MDDT the Academy guided to approval, the first was the Patient-Reported Outcomes with LASIK Symptoms and Satisfaction (PROWL-SS).   Representative (c) Wikipedia

Happy to report that Rezolute, Inc.'s RZ402-201 Phase 2 study has met its primary endpoints in patients with Diabetic Macular Edema. #DME RZ402 is an oral Plasma Kallikrein Inhibitor that has demonstrated significant reduction in CST in this study across all three doses. #pKI This data is supportive of the potential for a new first-line, non-invasive treatment for DME. Having an oral therapy would afford us the opportunity to address both eyes at the same time, as well as will allow earlier intervention, potentially altering long-term prognosis for individuals with DME. Thanks Arshad for those stirring words. "The results are monumental for the DME community." Thank you, Quan. This program will certainly make a difference to how we treat our patients with DME. Thank you to all the retina specialist friends and colleagues who helped with the study. I would also like to mention the staff at these sites, who were motivated to help with the study. I am sure all the PIs agree that without the hard work put in by their staff, the study would not have been possible. The sites recruited patients in urgency, and in spite of being bothered at all hours, each of you, PIs and staff, was very responsive and helpful. More importantly, the Patients. Every potential participant who agreed to hear the details of the study and chose to sign the informed consent, thanks so much. Some of them did not meet the criteria for the study, but their willingness to be part of this study is much appreciated. Lastly, and equally importantly, thank you to all my colleagues at Rezolute, Inc. who were involved in the various aspects, planning, conduct and execution of this study. https://bit.ly/3K9oF1N

Today is celebrated as Clinical Trials Day. #CTD2024 #ClinicalTrials This Day is observed annually on 20 May to commemorate the day James Lind started what is often considered the first #randomized clinical trial aboard a ship in 1747. Lind’s experiment involved sailors who had scurvy, a disease caused by vitamin C deficiency. He tested various remedies to determine which was most effective in treating it. His research famously provided evidence of the benefits of citrus fruits to treat this disease. This day now serves to recognize the importance of clinical trials in medical research and healthcare advancement. It highlights the contributions of researchers, healthcare professionals and study participants to the development of new treatments and medical interventions. https://lnkd.in/gB_uy_XK Pic (c) XTalks