Boehringer Ingelheim has entered into a development agreement with Re-Vana Therapeutics focused on advancing long-acting therapies for eye diseases. The collaboration will combine Boehringer’s ophthalmology pipeline with Re-Vana’s extended-release drug delivery technology, which is designed to gradually release treatments into the eye over a period of six to twelve months, aiming to reduce the frequency of injections required for ophthalmic patients.
Under the terms of the agreement, Boehringer will be able to add up to three extended-release programs per year to its research and development schedule. Re-Vana will contribute to the feasibility and development stages of these programs, while Boehringer will assume responsibility for moving the resulting candidates into clinical testing. The company will hold exclusive rights to these programs in the targeted areas agreed upon in the collaboration.
Financial details of the deal include an upfront payment from Boehringer to Re-Vana. While the exact figure was not disclosed, the companies indicated that the total value of the deal, covering development, regulatory, and commercial milestone payments for the first three targets, could exceed $1 billion. The specific therapeutic targets were not revealed, and the duration of the agreement has not been made public.
Michael O’Rourke, CEO of Re-Vana, stated, “By combining our extended-release platform with Boehringer Ingelheim’s world-class research and development capabilities and eye health pipeline, we strive to bring forward a new generation of long-acting treatments for eye diseases that offer clinical and quality-of-life benefits for patients.”
Re-Vana’s platform uses a polymer-based injectable that enables sustained drug release in the eye over several months. The approach is intended to reduce the treatment burden associated with repeated injections. Boehringer’s July 28 release noted, “Lowering the treatment burden could lead to higher treatment compliance, and potentially result in better therapeutic outcomes.”
Nedim Pipic, M.D., global head of mental health, eye health, and emerging areas at Boehringer, said the company looks forward to working with Re-Vana to explore new options in the field of ophthalmology. He said the goal is to support vision preservation with fewer required injections.
Although Boehringer is a relatively recent entrant in the eye health sector, it has expanded its activity in recent years. This includes a licensing agreement for a bispecific antibody from Surrozen and a partnership with RetinAI focused on geographic atrophy. Boehringer currently has four ophthalmic assets in Phase II trials. These include BI 764524, an antibody for diabetic retinopathy, and BI 771716, an antibody fragment in development for geographic atrophy through a 2020 partnership with CDR-Life. Another compound, an unnamed vascular modulator, is in Phase I trials for an undisclosed indication.
In an interview last week, Boehringer’s Chief Medical Officer, Lykke Hinsch Gylvin, M.D., described the company’s ophthalmology work as “fairly new for Boehringer” and said it had already drawn attention from clinicians.
Re-Vana, founded in 2016 as a spinout of Queen’s University Belfast, is pursuing multiple programs based on its extended-release delivery platform. The company is currently conducting a Series B funding round after closing an $11.9 million Series A in 2022. In addition to its collaborations, Re-Vana is developing a six-month extended-release version of Regeneron’s macular degeneration therapy Eylea, currently in Phase II/III trials, and a six-month bispecific antibody for an undisclosed indication.
Boehringer Ingelheim and Re-Vana Therapeutics Sign $1 Billion Deal for Eye Disease Drug Development
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