Three groups form alliance for retinal disease therapy

Leverkusen, Germany-Bayer HealthCare has entered into an exclusive collaboration with Inception Sciences Inc. of San Diego and Versant Ventures of San Francisco to develop treatment options for patients with retinal diseases, such as wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and geographic atrophy (GA).

Under the collaboration agreement, Inception Sciences and Bayer jointly will conduct early research in the area of ophthalmology under a newly created company called, “Inception 4.” The research will leverage Inception Science’s capabilities and combining scientific expertise to develop novel therapeutic agents in the area of ophthalmology.

Versant Ventures will provide equity funding to Inception 4 and Bayer will support the project through milestone payments. Bayer also will have an exclusive option to acquire Inception 4 under certain conditions.

Financial details of the agreement were not disclosed.

“We are excited to collaborate with Inception Sciences on the development of novel therapeutic agents in ophthalmology,” said Prof. Andreas Busch, director of Global Drug Discovery and member of the Executive Committee at Bayer HealthCare.

In addition to this collaboration, numerous substances addressing retinal eye diseases are currently investigated in early research stages at Bayer.

“Furthermore, we are working on a promising novel drug candidate with an alternative mode of delivery as an eye drop. If successfully developed and later on approved, this could provide a convenient treatment option for patients suffering from wet AMD,” Busch added.

“We are looking forward to partnering with Bayer and we share their enthusiasm for pursuing new pathways to address important medical needs in the field of ophthalmology,” said Peppi Prasit, PhD, chief executive officer at Inception Sciences. “Our partnership exemplifies the Build-to-Buy model for collaboration between Versant, Inception, and pharma partners for translating academic discoveries.”

For more articles in this issue of Ophthalmology Times eReport, click here.

To receive weekly clinical news and updates in ophthalmology, subscribe to the Ophthalmology Times eReport.