Boehringer Ingelheim Partners with Re-Vana Therapeutics in $1B+ Deal to Develop Long-Acting Ophthalmic Therapies

On July 28, Boehringer Ingelheim and Re-Vana Therapeutics, an ophthalmic treatment and drug delivery technology company headquartered in the U.S. and U.K., announced a strategic collaboration and licensing agreement aimed at developing first-in-class sustained-release therapies for ocular diseases.

Globally, millions of people with eye health issues are facing a gradual decline in independence and connection to the world due to vision loss. Boehringer Ingelheim has a diversified product portfolio in the field of eye health, including four assets in Phase 2 clinical trials, committed to protecting the retina, preserving people’s lifestyles, and preventing vision loss. Treating ophthalmic diseases often requires frequent direct injections into the eye, which can be very burdensome for patients. Re-Vana's drug delivery technology is designed to slowly release therapeutic agents over a period of 6 to 12 months, aiming to significantly reduce the frequency of injections required by patients. Reducing the treatment burden can improve treatment adherence and may lead to better outcomes. Boehringer Ingelheim will explore combining this technology with its unique eye health product line.

Nedim Pipic, Global Head of Mental Health, Ophthalmology, and Emerging Areas at Boehringer Ingelheim, said: "We look forward to collaborating withRe-Vana"Collaboration to push the boundaries of eye health. We aim to jointly address the limitations of current treatments, with the goal of helping people preserve their vision and reduce injections. This partnership is a bold step in our mission to protect vision and alleviate the burden on patients."

Re-VanaCEO Michael O'Rourke stated:"The strategic cooperation with Boehringer Ingelheim marksRe-Vana"A transformative moment. By combining our sustained-release platform with Boehringer Ingelheim's world-class R&D capabilities and eye health product line, we strive to develop a new generation of long-acting treatments for eye diseases, providing clinical and quality-of-life benefits to patients."

According to the collaboration, Boehringer Ingelheim aims to add three programs per year in treatment modalities. Both companies will jointly oversee the feasibility and development activities of Re-Vana's extended development plan, with Boehringer Ingelheim taking full responsibility for the clinical development, regulatory approval, and global commercialization of the product. The agreement terms grant Boehringer Ingelheim exclusive rights to the target and stipulate payments toRe-VanaPayment of upfront, development, regulatory and commercial milestone payments, with the potential total value of the transactions for the initial three targets exceeding 1 billion US dollars, in addition to royalties on net sales.

Re-Vana Therapeutics, founded in 2016, is an ophthalmic therapeutics and innovative ophthalmic drug delivery company of Queen’s University Belfast.Backed by leading U.S. ophthalmology investors (including Visionary Ventures, ExSight Ventures, InFocus Capital Partners) and U.K. investors (including QUBIS, TechStart Ventures, Invest Northern Ireland, and Clarendon Fund Managers).

Re-VanaThe proprietary technology is based on a novel photocrosslinking technique.Unique photo-crosslinked implants can be manufactured at room temperature with minimal internal pH changes. Through photo-crosslinking, the implants restrict water movement, thereby maintaining the stability of active pharmaceuticals within the implant matrix and controlling the degree of swelling. This results in enhanced protein stability for prolonged drug delivery. The extent of photo-crosslinking, the percentage of drug loaded in the implant, and the implant size allow Re-Vana to customize the rate and duration of drug delivery. This novel approach to sustained dosing can be applied to various biologics, peptides, macromolecules, and small molecules. Once injected into the eye, the implant slowly biodegrades, releasing the drug at a controlled rate over an extended period.

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