Developers of new ophthalmic products are thinking outside of the box. A raft of new gene therapies are progressing in the clinic, including a gene therapy paired with biomimetic goggles. Elsewhere, technology players are partnering with traditional biopharmaceutical companies and bringing algorithms, machine learning and microelectronics to bear on eye disorders and disease diagnostics.

The Alliance for Regenerative Medicine’s Q3 report illustrates just how far the sector has come in the 10 years since the organization’s founding. The number of therapies in the pipeline has ballooned, in parallel with financing for development activities.

Allergan has tried to go after alopecia in the past; Exicure brings a new spherical nucleic acid (SNA) technology. In other recent deals, AstraZeneca sells Seroquel, Losec rights to Germany’s Cheplapharm.

Phase III success at 96 weeks sets up GenSight blindness therapy for EU filing, but puzzle of placebo arm benefits remain