Benzinga | Sep 14, 2021 07:52AM EDT

EyePoint Sets its Sights on Continued Trial Success in Developing Treatments Improving the Lives of Eye Disorder Sufferers

Photo by Brands&People on Unsplash

Companies dedicated to improving the lives of the 2.2 billion people suffering from eye disorders are making incredible strides in developing new therapeutics. One of those companies, EyePoint Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:EYPT), has made significant progress in its Phase 1 DAVIO trial of its proprietary EYP-1901.

EYP-1901 is a potential twice-yearly sustained delivery intravitreal anti-VEGF treatment targeting wet age-related macular degeneration. Wet macular degeneration (AMD) is a chronic eye disorder resulting in blurred vision and blind spots caused by abnormal blood vessels that lead 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(r) sustained release technology with vorolanib, a tyrosine kinase inhibitor.

The Massachusetts-based EyePoint has 2 commercial products to fight severe eye disorders: YUTIQ(r), for the treatment of chronic non-infectious uveitis affecting the posterior segment of the eye and DEXYCU(r), for the treatment of postoperative inflammation following ocular surgery.

"Our technologies harness the power of delivering proven medications, but with less frequency -- alleviating much of the disruption in patients' lives, which may encourage adherence while also supporting the physician community," EyePoint President and CEO Nancy Lurker said. "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 cohorts 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. There were also no reported adverse effects of best-corrected visual acuity reduction or the elevation of intraocular pressure and no occurrences of endophthalmitis, retinal detachment or migration into the anterior 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.

* Four products with multiple development programs were approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, including YUTIQ(r) (2018, EyePoint) - Posterior Segment Uveitis, ILUVIEN(r) (2014, Alimera) - DME, RETISERT(r) (2005, B&L) - Uveitis and VITRASERT(r) (1996, B&L) - CMV retinitis.

"We have an incredibly exciting, potentially paradigm-shifting pipeline that is entirely focused on providing 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.