Biopharmaceutical company Boehringer Ingelheim has announced a strategic collaboration with Re-Vana Therapeutics to develop first-in-class extended-release therapies for vision-threatening eye diseases.
The deal has a potential value exceeding US$1 billion.
Re-Vana Therapeutics is an ocular therapeutics and innovative ocular drug delivery company, founded as a spin-out from Queen’s University Belfast, in Northern Ireland.
The companies said the collaboration will help reduce the need for frequent eye injections, a barrier to compliance and quality of life in patients with chronic ocular diseases.
… 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
Under the collaboration, Boehringer Ingelheim aims to add up to three projects per year across therapeutic modalities. The companies will jointly oversee Re-Vana’s feasibility and development activities for the extended-release programmes, with Boehringer Ingelheim assuming sole responsibility for clinical development, regulatory approval, and global commercialisation of the products.
For patients with retinal diseases, such as age-related macular degeneration and diabetic macular oedema, treatment often involves monthly intravitreal injections. Re-Vana’s proprietary platform aims to deliver drugs over extended periods, potentially transforming how these conditions are managed.
“The strategic collaboration with Boehringer Ingelheim marks a transformational moment for Re-Vana,” said Re-Vana CEO Michael O’Rourke.
“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.”
