EyePoint, Rallybio collaboration to focus on sustained delivery of C5 inhibitor in geographic atrophy

EyePoint Pharmaceuticals and Rallybio have entered a research collaboration to investigate sustained delivery of Rallybio’s complement C5 inhibitor using EyePoint’s Durasert technology.  (The complement system is a group of proteins that work together to destroy foreign invaders, trigger inflammation, and remove debris from cells and tissues.) The collaboration will initially focus on the treatment of geographic atrophy, according to a press release from EyePoint. The companies intend to expand the collaboration, upon mutual agreement, after evaluating the viability of using the C5 inhibitor with the Durasert technology. 

According to Jay S. Duker, MD, president and chief operating officer of EyePoint, this is a timely agreement given that “blocking complement as treatment paradigm for geographic atrophy (GA) is now a proven therapeutic pathway.” “With the FDA’s recent approval of Apellis’ C3 [complement] inhibitor, this opens up new hope for GA patients,” he said. “Rallybio and EyePoint see an opportunity to further improve the treatment paradigm by potentially permitting patients to have significantly fewer injections than the current monthly or bimonthly. This potentially could lead to even superior clinical results and better patient compliance.” 

Healio, February 28, 2023; see source article