Key Takeaways From Our Virtual Ophthalmology Symposium

Research evidence excerpt

Key Takeaways From Our Virtual Ophthalmology Symposium

es (referencing injectable complement inhibitors)

has historically been more conservative. The ongoing DRAGON II trial (n=73; US, UK,

and Japan) was designed specifically to enable approval in Japan under Pioneer Drug

Designation, using a 1:1 randomization (vs 2:1 in DRAGON I) for greater statistical power

and a less restrictive visual acuity eligibility cutoff (20/400 vs 20/200 in Dragon I); mgmt noted

enrollment completed quickly, aided by increased patient motivation following DRAGON I's

positive readout. On safety, mgmt emphasized that the two most notable AEs, delayed dark

adaptation and transient xanthopsia (yellow-tinged vision during light/dark transitions), are

mechanistically expected (reflecting temporary slowing of rod-mediated adaptation due to

reduced vitamin A availability), benign, and manageable through patient education, with no

serious ocular treatment-related AEs observed to date. Mgmt also reiterated that the Ph3

PHOENIX trial in GA (n=530) has completed enrollment, with an interim analysis (including

sample size re-estimation) guided to YE26, and voiced optimism regarding the broader

commercial opportunity in GA.

• Epion Therapeutics (private): Epion Therapeutics is developing EpiSmart, a non-invasive,

third-generation corneal cross-linking (CXL) system designed to treat keratoconus without

surgical intervention or epithelial disruption. President/CEO Mike Webb estimates a total

addressable market (TAM) of 3M patients in the U.S., which includes roughly 1M "watch

and wait" keratoconus patients, who are already in the U.S. healthcare system today. This

compares to the ~20k eyes being treated with CXL therapy annually in the domestic market.