– YUTIQ Indicated for the Treatment of Chronic Non-Infectious Posterior Segment Uveitis –
WATERTOWN, Mass., Feb. 04, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — EyePoint Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: EYPT), a specialty biopharmaceutical company committed to developing and commercializing innovative ophthalmic products, today announced it has commercially launched YUTIQTM in the United States. YUTIQ is the Company’s U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved, three-year micro-insert for the treatment of chronic non-infectious uveitis affecting the posterior segment of the eye. The product is available for ordering and delivery to physicians today. The Company has also launched EyePoint Assist, a program to ensure access to YUTIQ for eligible patients in need of financial assistance.
“We are pleased to announce the availability of YUTIQ in the U.S., which is an advancement in the treatment of chronic, non-infectious posterior segment uveitis,” said Nancy Lurker, President and Chief Executive Officer of EyePoint Pharmaceuticals. “YUTIQ is the first FDA-approved fluocinolone acetonide micro-insert to address this serious condition that is the third leading cause of blindness in the country. One micro-insert of YUTIQ has the ability to deliver up to three years of fluocinolone acetonide, a commonly used steroid, with continuous dosing that avoids the peaks and valleys of local corticosteroids, the current standard of care. In clinical studies, YUTIQ significantly reduced the number of inflammatory uveitis eye flares, which can lead to blindness. We are proud to bring this innovative treatment to patients to address this high unmet need.”
YUTIQ utilizes the Company’s Durasert™ drug delivery technology and is an intravitreal micro-insert containing 0.18 mg of fluocinolone acetonide, designed to release consistently for up to 36 months. YUTIQ is supplied in a sterile single-dose preloaded applicator that can be administered in the physician’s office. In Phase 3 clinical trials, YUTIQ significantly reduced the rate of recurrent uveitis flares versus sham, and the most common adverse reactions reported were cataract development and increase in intraocular pressure (IOP).
About YUTIQ™
YUTIQ™ (fluocinolone acetonide intravitreal implant) 0.18 mg is indicated for the treatment of chronic, non-infectious uveitis affecting the posterior segment of the eye, and was approved by the FDA on October 12, 2018. A link to the full product label is available on the EyePoint Pharma website at: www.eyepointpharma.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/YUTIQ-USPI-20181120.pdf.
About Chronic Non-infectious Uveitis Affecting the Posterior Segment of the Eye
Non-infectious posterior segment uveitis is a chronic, non-infectious inflammatory disease affecting the posterior segment of the eye, often involving the retina, which affects people of all ages, producing swelling and destroying eye tissues, which can lead to severe vision loss and blindness. In the U.S., posterior segment uveitis is estimated to affect between 55,000 – 120,000 people resulting in approximately 30,000 cases of blindness, making it the third leading cause of blindness in the U.S. Today, patients with posterior uveitis are typically treated with either local steroid injections, with limited duration of effect, or systemic steroids, but over time frequently develop serious side effects that can limit effective dosing. Patients then often progress to steroid-sparing therapy with systemic immune suppressants or biologics, which themselves can have severe side effects including an increased risk of cancer.
About EyePoint Pharmaceuticals
EyePoint Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (formerly pSivida Corp.) (www.eyepointpharma.com), headquartered in Watertown, MA, is a specialty biopharmaceutical company committed to developing and commercializing innovative ophthalmic products in indications with high unmet medical need to help improve the lives of patients with serious eye disorders. With the approval by the FDA on October 12, 2018 of the YUTIQ™ three-year treatment of chronic non-infectious uveitis affecting the posterior segment of the eye, the Company has developed five of the six FDA-approved sustained-release treatments for eye diseases. The most common adverse reactions reported for YUTIQ were cataract development and increases in intraocular pressure. DEXYCU™ was approved by the FDA on February 9, 2018. DEXYCU, administered as a single intraocular dose at the end of ocular surgery for the treatment of postoperative inflammation, is the first and only FDA-approved intraocular product with this indication. The most common adverse reactions reported by 5-15% of patients were intraocular pressure increased, corneal edema and iritis. DEXYCU employs the Verisome® extended-release drug delivery technology, which encompasses a broad number of related, but distinct drug delivery systems with the potential of incorporating an extensive range of active agents, including small molecules, proteins and monoclonal antibodies. ILUVIEN® (fluocinolone acetonide intravitreal implant), a micro-insert for diabetic macular edema, licensed to Alimera Sciences, Inc., is currently sold directly in the U.S. and several EU countries. Retisert® (fluocinolone acetonide intravitreal implant), for posterior uveitis, is licensed to and sold by Bausch & Lomb, Inc. The Company’s pre-clinical development program is focused on using its core Durasert™ and the Verisome platform technologies to deliver drugs to treat wet age-related macular degeneration, glaucoma, and other diseases. To learn more about the Company, please visit www.eyepointpharma.com and connect on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and Google+.
SAFE HARBOR STATEMENTS UNDER THE PRIVATE SECURITIES LITIGATION ACT OF 1995: Various statements made in this release are forward-looking, and are inherently subject to risks, uncertainties and potentially inaccurate assumptions. All statements that address activities, events or developments that we intend, expect, plan or believe may occur in the future, including but not limited to statements about our commercialization of YUTIQ and our plans to commercialize DEXYCU, the expected timing of release of the 24-month and 36-month patient follow-up data for YUTIQ and our expectations regarding the timing of a filing of an application for approval of a next-generation, shorter-duration treatment for posterior segment uveitis, are forward-looking statements. Some of the factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the anticipated results or other expectations expressed, anticipated or implied in our forward-looking statements include uncertainties with respect to: our ability to achieve profitable operations and access to needed capital; fluctuations in our operating results; our ability to successfully produce commercial supply of YUTIQ and DEXYCU and commercialize YUTIQ and DEXYCU in the U.S.; our ability to successfully build a commercial infrastructure and enter into and maintain commercial agreements for the launch of DEXYCU and YUTIQ; the development of our next-generation YUTIQ short-acting treatment for uveitis; potential off-label sales of ILUVIEN for non-infectious posterior segment uveitis (“NIPU”); consequences of fluocinolone acetonide side effects; successful commercialization of, and receipt of revenues from, ILUVIEN for diabetic macular edema (“DME”) which depends on the ability of Alimera Sciences, Inc. (“Alimera”) to continue as a going concern; Alimera’s ability to obtain additional marketing approvals and the effect of pricing and reimbursement decisions on sales of ILUVIEN for DME; Alimera’s ability to obtain marketing approval for ILUVIEN in its licensed territories for NIPU; potential declines in Retisert royalties; our ability to market and sell products; the success of current and future license agreements, including our agreement with Alimera; termination or breach of current license agreements, including our agreement with Alimera; our dependence on contract research organizations, contract sales organizations, vendors and investigators; effects of competition and other developments affecting sales of products; market acceptance of products; effects of guidelines, recommendations and studies; protection of intellectual property and avoiding intellectual property infringement; retention of key personnel; product liability; industry consolidation; compliance with environmental laws; manufacturing risks; risks and costs of international business operations; effects of the potential exit of the United Kingdom from the European Union; legislative or regulatory changes; volatility of stock price; possible dilution; absence of dividends; and other factors described in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. You should read and interpret any forward-looking statements in light of these risks. Should known or unknown risks materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove inaccurate, actual results could differ materially from past results and those anticipated, estimated or projected in the forward-looking statements. You should bear this in mind as you consider any forward-looking statements. Our forward-looking statements speak only as of the dates on which they are made. We do not undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise our forward-looking statements even if experience or future changes makes it clear that any projected results expressed or implied in such statements will not be realized.
Contact
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Kimberly Minarovich
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Joseph Rayne
(617) 340-6075
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Media:
Thomas Gibson
(201) 476-0322
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