■ Oculis and Accure Therapeutics announced a licensing agreement granting the former exclusive global rights to develop and commercialize ACT-01. Renamed OCS-05, the compound is a first-in-class small molecule with neuroprotective activity that has shown positive results in animal models of neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration.

“This agreement combines Oculis’s ophthalmology expertise with Accure’s unique neuroprotective approach to help transform the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases in ophthalmology,” Oculis CEO Riad Sherif, MD, said in a news release. “With OCS-05, we have the potential to bring to market the first neuroprotective for glaucoma and other optic neuropathies.”

OCS-05 activates the trophic factor pathway activation, specifically IGF-1 and BDNF, the company stated in a news release. It is thought that the compound could prevent chronic vision loss due to its protective action on nerve axons in optic nerve–affected conditions. Based on positive preclinical and phase 1 data, the phase 2a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled 2-arm, monocentric ACUITY study has been initiated.