Glaukos Corporation (NYSE: GKOS) has agreed to exclusively license RO-104, a preclinical tri-specific biologic targeting vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF-A), VEGF-C, and angiopoietin-2 (Ang-2), from Springfield, Illinois-based RevOpsis Therapeutics, Inc., covering development and commercialization in neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD), diabetic macular edema (DME), diabetic retinopathy (DR), and retinal vein occlusion (RVO); financial terms were not disclosed.
RO-104 is designed to simultaneously block VEGF-A, VEGF-C, and Ang-2, three angiogenic pathways RevOpsis describes as clinically validated in vascular disease progression. RevOpsis, which picked up USD 1.8 million in NIH funding to support development of the molecule, said the asset demonstrated superior preclinical efficacy in established animal models compared with approved anti-VEGF therapeutics, though no clinical data have been disclosed.
Beyond RO-104, the agreement grants Glaukos exclusive rights to RevOpsis' RevMod platform in geographic atrophy, DME, DR, RVO, and nAMD for the discovery and development of up to four additional retinal biologic candidates, while Glaukos will develop and commercialize RO-104.
The most directly comparable approved therapy is Roche's faricimab (Vabysmo), a bisepcific antibody targeting VEGF-A and Ang-2, approved for nAMD, DME, and macular edema following RVO. RO-104 adds VEGF-C inhibition to those two targets, potentially offering a differentiated approach, although the clinical value of targeting all three pathways remains to be established.