Merck to Acquire EyeBio for Up to $3 Billion to Strengthen Ophthalmology Pipeline with First-in-Class Trispecific Antibody Restoret

　　【Pharmaceutical Network Enterprise News】Ophthalmic diseases are conditions that affect the components of the eye. In recent years, factors such as an aging population and prolonged use of electronic devices have led to a continuous increase in the number of people suffering from serious ophthalmic diseases, driving rapid growth in the global ophthalmology market. Focusing solely on the ophthalmic drugs sector, reports indicate that the global market size for ophthalmic drugs has grown from $32.4 billion in 2018 to $38.7 billion in 2022, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4.5%. It is further predicted that by 2024, the global market size for ophthalmic drugs will reach $43.1 billion.
 

Facing a $10 billion market space for ophthalmic drugs, pharmaceutical companies at home and abroad are actively making moves. Recently, foreign media reported that Merck plans to acquire EyeBio for up to $3 billion in order to diversify its pipeline and strengthen its position in the ophthalmology field. The deal includes an upfront payment of $1.3 billion and milestone payments of up to $1.7 billion. It is reported that the acquisition is expected to be completed in the third quarter of 2024.
 

Public information shows that EyeBio is a private ophthalmic biotechnology company focused on developing next-generation treatments for eye diseases, aiming to build a diversified portfolio of product candidates that address unmet medical needs in ophthalmology. Their focus on combining scientifically robust targets with innovative approaches demonstrates their commitment to addressing gaps in the current treatment landscape.
 

After completing the acquisition, Merck will gain access to EyeBio's pipeline for retinal diseases, including EyeBio's lead candidate drug Restoret, an investigational trispecific antibody targeting diabetic macular edema (DME) and neovascular age-related macular degeneration (NVAMD). The drug is expected to enter pivotal Phase 2b/3 clinical trials in the second half of this year.
 

Diabetic retinopathy is one of the four leading causes of blindness in Western developed countries. With the aging population, the incidence of diabetic retinopathy is gradually increasing, seriously affecting patients' visual function and quality of life. Diabetic macular edema (DME) is a common cause of vision impairment in diabetic patients. As the prevalence of diabetes rises year by year, the number of cases of diabetic macular edema in the United States continues to grow. Data shows that in 2020, the number of DME patients in the United States reached 1.3689 million. Currently, for diabetic macular edema and diabetic retinopathy, the main treatment methods are anti-VEGF therapy combined with laser surgery or...Surgical Operation。
 

Neovascular age-related macular degeneration (NVAMD) represents the advanced stage of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and is the leading cause of irreversible vision loss and blindness in the elderly. Subretinal fibrosis typically progresses in the late stages of NVAMD, resulting in localized permanent photoreceptor degeneration and irreversible vision loss in NVAMD patients. As the pathological mechanism of AMD has not been fully elucidated, it is currently widely accepted that increased VEGF expression-induced angiogenesis is the main cause of nAMD development, while inflammation mediated by abnormal complement activation is also considered an important factor in AMD pathogenesis.
 

Restoret is a potential "first-in-class" tetravalent trispecific antibody that works by activating the Wnt signaling pathway, which is disrupted in these diseases, potentially restoring the endothelial cell barrier and reducing fluid leakage into the retina.
 

Restoret can simultaneously bind to receptors LRP5 and FZD4, activating the Wnt signaling pathway. The Wnt signaling pathway plays a crucial role in restoring and maintaining the blood-retina barrier (BRB). Preclinical studies have shown that Restoret can durably reduce retinal vascular leakage associated with DME and NVAMD. If clinical progress is smooth, this drug is expected to bring new treatment options for patients with DME and NVAMD.
 

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