Iveric Bio Inc. is now the second biotech to gain U.S. clearance for geographic atrophy – snagging U.S. FDA approval on Aug. 4 for Izervay (avacincaptad pegol intravitreal solution) to treat GA secondary to age-related macular degeneration. The once-monthly Izervay 2-mg injection is anticipated to be available in the U.S. in two to four weeks, said Tokyo-based Astellas Pharma Inc., which recently acquired Iveric in May 2023.

Santen Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. is selling its North American branded ophthalmic portfolio to Visiox Pharma LLC and Harrow Health Inc. in a move to make its global organization as competitive as possible, Santen told BioWorld.

Golgi Neurosciences srl and Breye Therapeutics ApS have established a collaboration to develop Golgi’s P2X7 receptor antagonist program for retinal disorders. The companies have now closed the transfer of the P2X7 receptor antagonist program, which seeks to reduce nerve damage and inflammation in retinal disease and advance development of innovative oral small-molecule therapeutics for retinal disorders.

Santen Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. is selling its North American branded ophthalmic portfolio to Visiox Pharma LLC and Harrow Health Inc. in a move to make its global organization as competitive as possible, Santen told BioWorld.

Apellis Pharmaceutical Inc.’s shares nosedived by 37% July 17 after the American Society of Retina Specialists wrote to ophthalmologists warning them of the risk of serious intraocular inflammation events in patients following injection of the company’s geographic atrophy drug, Syfovre (pegcetacoplan).

Tenpoint Therapeutics Ltd. raised $70 million in a series A funding round to pursue ambitious plans to reverse vision loss using both ex vivo cell engineering and in vivo cell reprogramming approaches.

As investors continue to weigh VRDN-001’s chances against Tepezza (teprotumumab, Horizon Pharmaceuticals plc) in thyroid eye disease, Viridian Therapeutics Inc. popped the lid off positive preliminary data from the ongoing phase I/II trial with the intravenous full antagonist antibody to the insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor.

Astellas Pharma Inc. and 4D Molecular Therapeutics Inc. (4DMT) inked a deal worth up to $942 million under which Astellas will license 4DMT's intravitreal R100 gene therapy vector for rare ophthalmic targets.

A non-invasive retinal exam may soon enable clinicians to visualize the future for patients at risk of chronic kidney disease (CKD). When combined with an artificial intelligence algorithm, an exam accurately predicted CKD prior to symptom onset in a study published in Digital Medicine.

Skyline Therapeutics (Shanghai) Co. Ltd. has received FDA clearance for its IND application for a phase I/IIa trial of SKG-0106, a one-time intravitreally delivered recombinant adeno-associated virus (AAV) gene therapy for the treatment of neovascular age-related macular degeneration (wet AMD). A global phase I trial will be initiated soon.