Ophthotech Corp. (New Jersey)

– Company on-track to report topline data in 2Q 2024 for the Phase 2 PAVIA clinical trial of EYP-1901 in moderately severe-to-severe NPDR – – Initiation of first Phase 3 clinical trial (LUGANO) of EYP-1901 in wet AMD expected in 2H 2024 – WATERTOWN, Mass., March 04, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- EyePoint Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: EYPT), a company committed to developing and commercializing therapeutics to help improve the lives of patients with serious retinal diseases, today announced the appointment of Ramiro Ribeiro, M.D., Ph.D. as Chief Medical Officer to succeed Dario Paggiarino, M.D. who has served as EyePoint’s Chief Medical Officer since 2016. Dr. Ribeiro is a trained retinal specialist and joins EyePoint from Apellis Pharmaceuticals, where he served as Vice President, Head of Clinical Development. “We are delighted to welcome Dr. Ribeiro to the EyePoint senior leadership team during an exciting time as we approach the anticipated Phase 2 PAVIA trial readout of EYP-1901 for NPDR in the second quarter and the initiation of our first Phase 3 LUGANO pivotal trial in wet AMD in the second half of this year,” said Jay S. Duker, M.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of EyePoint Pharmaceuticals. “Ramiro is a proven leader with a strong scientific and clinical background, and a track record of successfully bringing novel therapies for patients. His wealth of experience will be an incredibly valuable addition to the team as we advance EYP-1901 and pipeline programs through clinical development and potential FDA approval. I also want to express my sincere gratitude to Dr. Paggiarino for his numerous contributions to EyePoint during his tenure. Dario’s clinical knowledge and leadership have been instrumental to our success.” “I have devoted my career to bringing innovative treatments to patients suffering from sight-threatening conditions, and I believe that intravitreal sustained-delivery therapies using EyePoint’s Durasert E™ technology have great potential to transform the treatment paradigm for serious retinal diseases,” said Dr. Ribeiro. “EyePoint has built an impressive foundation as the leader in sustained intraocular drug delivery, demonstrated by the compelling efficacy and safety data of EYP-1901 observed in the Phase 1 DAVIO and Phase 2 DAVIO 2 trials. I am excited to work with the talented team at Eyepoint to drive the development of promising product candidates across Eyepoint’s portfolio and bring novel treatment options to patients around the world.” Dr. Ribeiro joins EyePoint from Apellis Pharmaceuticals, where he served as Vice President and Head of Clinical Development. In his previous role, Dr. Ribeiro was responsible for building the pipeline strategy for Apellis’s ophthalmology franchise. He successfully led the cross-functional development team responsible for the global Phase 3 clinical program in Geographic Atrophy (GA) from protocol development through New Drug Application (NDA) submission and the U.S. FDA approval of SYFOVRE. Prior to joining Apellis in 2018, Dr. Ribeiro was the Senior Medical Director and Head of Digital Health at Acucela Inc., where he was responsible for multiple clinical trials in retina. Previously, he held leadership roles at Ophthotech (Iveric Bio), Alcon, Replenish, Inc., and 1Co Inc. Earlier, Dr. Ribeiro was a practicing retinal specialist. He holds a M.D. from Pontifical Catholic University and a Ph.D. in Stem Cell Therapy for Retinal Degenerative Diseases from the Federal University of São Paulo. He was also a research fellow at University of Southern California. Inducement Grants under Nasdaq Listing Rule 5635(c)(4)In connection with the hiring of Dr. Ribeiro, the Compensation Committee of Eyepoint Pharmaceutical’s Board of Directors granted stock options to purchase an aggregate of 125,000 shares of common stock as an inducement award material to Dr. Ribeiro entering into employment with the company in accordance with Nasdaq Listing Rule 5635(c)(4). The stock options have an exercise price equal to the closing price of EyePoint's common stock on March 1, 2024, and will vest as follows: 25% on the first anniversary and monthly through the fourth anniversary of the date of grant, subject to the terms of grant. About EyePoint Pharmaceuticals EyePoint Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq: EYPT) is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company committed to developing and commercializing therapeutics to help improve the lives of patients with serious retinal diseases. The Company's pipeline leverages its proprietary bioerodible Durasert E™ technology for sustained intraocular drug delivery. The Company’s lead product candidate, EYP-1901, is an investigational sustained delivery treatment for VEGF-mediated retinal diseases combining vorolanib, a selective and patent-protected tyrosine kinase inhibitor with Durasert E™. Pipeline programs include EYP-2301, a promising TIE-2 agonist, razuprotafib, f/k/a AKB-9778, formulated in Durasert E™ to potentially improve outcomes in serious retinal diseases. The proven Durasert® drug delivery technology has been safely administered to thousands of patient eyes across four U.S. FDA approved products. EyePoint Pharmaceuticals is headquartered in Watertown, Massachusetts. Vorolanib is licensed to EyePoint exclusively by Equinox Sciences, a Betta Pharmaceuticals affiliate, for the localized treatment of all ophthalmic diseases outside of China, Macao, Hong Kong and Taiwan. Forward Looking StatementsEYEPOINT PHARMACEUTICALS SAFE HARBOR STATEMENTS UNDER THE PRIVATE SECURITIES LITIGATION ACT OF 1995: To the extent any statements made in this press release deal with information that is not historical, these are forward-looking statements under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the use of proceeds for the offering and other statements identified by words such as “will,” “potential,” “could,” “can,” “believe,” “intends,” “continue,” “plans,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “estimates,” “may,” other words of similar meaning or the use of future dates. Forward-looking statements by their nature address matters that are, to different degrees, uncertain. Uncertainties and risks may cause EyePoint’s actual results to be materially different than those expressed in or implied by EyePoint’s forward-looking statements. For EyePoint, this includes uncertainties regarding the timing and clinical development of our product candidates, including EYP-1901 and EYP-2301; the potential for EYP-1901 as a novel sustained delivery treatment for serious eye diseases, including wet age-related macular degeneration (wet AMD) and non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR) and diabetic macular edema (DME); the effectiveness and timeliness of clinical trials, and the usefulness of the data; the timeliness of regulatory approvals including potential U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulatory approval of EYP-1901 and EYP-2301; the success of current and future license agreements; our dependence on contract research organizations, co-promotion partners, and other outside vendors and service providers; the success of Durasert® as a drug delivery platform in FDA approved products; product liability; industry consolidation; compliance with environmental laws; risks and costs of international business operations; volatility of stock price; possible dilution; absence of dividends; the impact of general business and economic conditions; protection of our intellectual property and avoiding intellectual property infringement; retention of key personnel; manufacturing risks; and other factors described in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. We cannot guarantee that the results and other expectations expressed, anticipated or implied in any forward-looking statement will be realized. A variety of factors, including these risks, could cause our actual results and other expectations to differ materially from the anticipated results or other expectations expressed, anticipated or implied in our forward-looking statements. Should known or unknown risks materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove inaccurate, actual results could differ materially from past results and those anticipated, estimated or projected in the forward-looking statements. You should bear this in mind as you consider any forward-looking statements. Our forward-looking statements speak only as of the dates on which they are made. EyePoint undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Investors:Christina TartagliaStern IRDirect: 212-698-8700christina.tartaglia@sternir.com Media Contact:Amy PhillipsGreen Room CommunicationsDirect: 412-327-9499aphillips@greenroompr.com

Series A led by F-Prime Capital, Sofinnova Partners and British Patient Capital with additional founding investment from Qiming Venture Partners USA, Eight Roads and the UCL Technology Fund among others Tenpoint’s regenerative medicine platform has potential to replace cells destroyed by both age-related and inherited ocular diseases CEO and regenerative ophthalmology expert Eddy Anglade, MD joins Tenpoint Board of Directors and a renowned group of scientific founders to address the underlying causes of vision loss LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Tenpoint Therapeutics (“Tenpoint”), a biotechnology company pursuing vision-restoring engineered cell-based therapeutics and in vivo reprogramming to address degenerative ocular diseases, today announced its launch with a $70 million Series A financing to develop its regenerative medicine platform to replace multiple cell types lost to inherited and age-related conditions. The Series A round included new investment from British Patient Capital as well as funding from all seed investors including F-Prime Capital, Sofinnova Partners, Qiming Venture Partners USA, Eight Roads and the UCL Technology Fund among others. F-Prime and Sofinnova Partners were the founding investors who supported the company’s early operational development and technology expansion. Tenpoint was established based on the pioneering work of its scientific founders from Moorfields Eye Hospital, University College London Institute of Ophthalmology, Institut de la Vision in Paris and the University of Washington who have developed engineered cell-based therapeutics and performed translational research to establish proof-of-concept. Based on these foundational achievements, Tenpoint is advancing approaches to generate specialized ocular cell types both ex vivo and in vivo. “Cell-based therapeutics represent an ideal modality for degenerative ocular diseases since most vision loss results from damaged or missing tissue. In recent years, a number of new technological advancements have converged to make this modality both clinically viable and scalable,” said Eddy Anglade, MD, Chief Executive Officer of Tenpoint. “At Tenpoint, we are focused exclusively on the eye and on harnessing recent advances in regenerative biology to advance our therapies as we work to change the future for people with vision loss by addressing its underlying causes.” Tenpoint is led by renowned experts in both regenerative medicine and ophthalmology. As CEO, Eddy Anglade, MD brings decades of experience in clinical development in ophthalmic diseases with significant unmet needs. Vanessa King, PhD, Tenpoint’s founding CEO, led this financing of the company and will continue to support the organization as a strategic advisor. Tenpoint previously named ophthalmology innovator David Guyer, MD, to chair its board. Dr. Guyer currently serves as Chief Executive Officer of EyeBio and previously served as Executive Chairman of IVERIC bio, a company he co-founded under the name Ophthotech. As co-founder, CEO and director of Eyetech Pharmaceuticals, he oversaw the development and commercialization of Macugen® (pegaptanib sodium), the first anti-VEGF pharmacological treatment approved by the FDA for treatment of wet AMD. “Tenpoint has great potential to lead ophthalmology into a new era which will fully replace cells lost to degenerative conditions rather than merely endeavoring to slow the processes that drive vision loss,” said Dr. Guyer. “This offers the potential for more complete restoration of sight and for curative treatments able to eliminate the underlying cause of disease.” “Tenpoint’s mission is a global one,” said Alex Pasteur, PhD, Partner at F-Prime Capital. “We are delighted to have provided international company creation support to launch such a visionary company.” “As one of the company’s seed investors, we are pleased to have played a founding role in developing Tenpoint from its inception,” said Graziano Seghezzi, PhD, Managing Partner at Sofinnova Partners. “Tenpoint stands out in the realm of regenerative medicine, with an innovative approach that could ultimately provide a transformative cure to many causes of blindness for millions of patients around the world.” About Tenpoint Therapeutics Tenpoint is a biotechnology company committed to advancing engineered cell-based therapies and in vivo reprogramming to restore vision for people with degenerative ocular diseases, bringing together the global experts who are shaping the regenerative ocular medicine revolution and the technologies that are driving it. We are addressing the ultimate cause of vision loss by replacing diseased cells with healthy ones to permanently restore vision. Tenpoint’s global team is united by our passion for science and our commitment to patients. To learn more visit tenpointtx.com and connect with us on LinkedIn. View source version on businesswire.com: Contacts Ten Bridge Communications TBCTenpoint@tenbridgecommunications.com Source: Tenpoint Therapeutics View this news release online at:

Astellas framed the deal to buy Iveric Bio as a way to further its focus on blindness and regeneration. The multibillion-dollar biotech buyouts keep on coming. Astellas Pharma is the latest drugmaker to get in on the act, agreeing to pay $5.9 billion to buy Iveric Bio and establish itself as a player in an emerging eye disease niche.  Iveric is less than three months away from learning whether the FDA will approve avacincaptad pegol, a complement C5 protein inhibitor that reduced the rate of geographic atrophy (GA) progression in a phase 3 clinical trial. Patients with GA, a cause of irreversible loss of vision in patients with age-related macular degeneration (AMD), lacked treatments until recently, but the market is heating up fast. Apellis Pharmaceuticals won the first FDA approval for a GA drug, Syfovre, in February, and companies including AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson, Novartis and Roche are in pursuit. Iveric, a biotech formerly known as Ophthotech, is poised to be the first commercial rival to Apellis, though. That fact has caught Astellas’ attention. Astellas has agreed to pay $40 per share in cash to buy Iveric. The fee represents a 22% premium over Iveric’s closing price at the end of last week. That may seem light in the wake of the triple-digit premiums that GSK and Sanofi have paid recently for Bellus Health and Provention Bio, respectively, but it follows a steady rise in Iveric’s share price. The premium over Iveric’s March 31 share price is 64%. The willingness of Astellas to pay $5.9 billion for Iveric reflects the Japanese drugmaker’s desire to hit its 2025 sales target and need to add new growth drivers to offset the anticipated loss of revenue when the prostate cancer drug Xtandi loses patent protection in 2027. Astellas also framed the deal as a way to further its focus on blindness and regeneration. Cell and gene therapies are part of the strategy, but that side of the pipeline has stuttered, with enrollment in a phase 1 trial of GA candidate ASP7317 stopping for two years and a glaucoma prospect acquired in the Quethera buyout yet to reach the clinic.  Buying Iveric will give Astellas a GA drug that could be approved by the time the deal closes in the third quarter and accelerate an expansion into ophthalmology by providing control of the commercial team and other infrastructure that the biotech has built up to support the launch. Earlier this year, Iveric said it was building a 120-person sales team that would include 50 to 70 field-based reps.  The deal completes an impressive recovery for Iveric, which was on the ropes in 2017. Back then, a run of three clinical trial failures for Fovista sunk the biotech’s stock and wiped out the optimism generated when Novartis paid $200 million for ex-U.S. rights to the AMD asset. Yet, Iveric recovered, changing its name from Ophthotech and embarking on a GA strategy that culminates today in the Astellas buyout.