DelSiTech announces licensing agreement with Visus Therapeutics for eye-care treatments

Finland-based drug delivery company DelSiTech is working with Visus Therapeutics, a US clinical-stage company on the development of a range of long-acting ocular therapies.

The companies have announced an exclusive licensing and collaboration agreement for therapeutics assess held by Visus Therapeutics. Both companies are working on six development programmes for eye care solutions targeting the management of ocular diseases of the back and front of the eye.

Management of ocular disorders affecting the posterior segment continues to pose a central challenge in drug development. Ailments can be highly debilitating and significantly lessen patients’ quality of life or even lead to blindness if left untreated, while treatments remain highly invasive. Additionally, ocular diseases of the anterior segment can be equally debilitating and represent significant burdens on public health. However, current treatment options can be extremely inefficient with regimens requiring excessive daily dosing, a regimen that is also often deviated from due to lifestyle and routine, hindering the treatment’s efficacy.

The need for long-term therapeutic relief for typically chronic ocular disorders has remained largely unaddressed, perpetuating the significant treatment burdens experienced by patients receiving frequent intra-ocular injections or demanding topically administered regimens.

“By expanding our portfolio to include investigational drugs for glaucoma and age-related macular degeneration and leveraging this innovative drug delivery technology, Visus is well positioned to develop a new generation of therapies that could potentially change the standard of care for these sight-threatening conditions,” said Ben Bergo, co-founder and chief executive officer at Visus Therapeutics. “This represents a significant step forward in our strategy as we evolve into an innovation-driven ophthalmic platform company armed with differentiated, patent-protected assets driven by a world-class leadership team.”

DelSiTech’s Silica Matrix is a drug delivery technology platform that enables the long-acting controlled release of both small drug molecules as well as biologics in a wide range of tissues, including the intravitreal space inside the eye, for durations in excess of several months, presenting an alternative to frequent invasive procedures, or in the case of topical treatments, once daily dosing.

Many small molecule drugs are poorly retained in the eye, often eliminated in a matter of hours from the vitreous body or less in the case of topically administered treatments. In these instances, a controlled release dosage form could be the only viable option for treating the diseases of the posterior and anterior segment.

Dr Lasse Leino, chief executive officer of DelSiTech commented: “DelSiTech has a long-standing keen focus on ophthalmic drug delivery, as an area where we feel that patients still remain largely unsupported. This critical unmet need continues to motivate us to forge alliances with leading ophthalmic drug developers such as Visus Therapeutics, who are able to create solutions at the forefront of ophthalmic research. We are truly excited to be playing a role in the future of long-acting ophthalmic medicines, now with this agreement, across such a substantive range of products.”