Ocugen Completes Enrollment In Late-Stage Blindness Trial, Eyes FDA Filing In 2026
OCUGEN INC OCGN | 0.00 |
Ocugen, Inc. (Ocugen or the Company) (NASDAQ:OCGN), a pioneering biotechnology leader in gene therapies for blindness diseases, today announced that enrollment is now complete for the OCU400 Phase 3 liMeliGhT clinical trial for retinitis pigmentosa (RP). As a one-year clinical trial, topline data will be available in the first quarter of 2027. These data are anticipated to support the Biologics License Application (BLA) filing for OCU400 and potential approval in 2027. The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has also provided acceptability of the U.S.-based trial for submission of a Marketing Authorization Application (MAA).
"With enrollment complete for OCU400, we enter into a very significant time as a Company," said Dr. Shankar Musunuri, Chairman, CEO, and Co-founder of Ocugen. "This milestone brings us even closer to potentially delivering our first novel modifier gene therapy candidate to market and providing a one-time treatment for life to hundreds of thousands of RP patients across the globe with unmet medical need."
The liMeliGhT clinical trial enrolled 140 patients who were randomized 2:1 into the treatment group (2.5×10 vg per eye 250 µL) and untreated control group across mutations (RHO and gene-agnostic arms). The target population included patients with early- to late-stage disease among a broad RP population, including pediatrics (3+ years). The primary endpoint is 12-month change in visual function assessed by LDNA (luminance dependent navigation assessment) with improvement in Lux Level from baseline to 12 months. LDNA is a more sensitive and specific mobility test, proprietary to Ocugen.
"The Phase 3 liMeliGhT clinical trial includes representation of a wide range of gene mutations associated with early to advanced stages of RP and we believe the patient response will support the gene-agnostic mechanism of action of our novel modifier gene therapy platform," said Dr. Huma Qamar, Chief Medical Officer of Ocugen. "I want to thank the investigators and clinical research teams for their tireless recruitment efforts and coordination among the trial sites to achieve the enrollment milestone. This dedication has the potential to shift the treatment paradigm for RP by targeting multiple genetic mutations with a single therapeutic approach."
The OCU400 Phase 3 liMeliGhT clinical trial is the only broad RP gene-agnostic trial and the largest known Phase 3 orphan gene therapy trial.
"It is critical to work towards FDA-approved treatment options that address the significant gap that remains for the approximately 98% of people living with RP who are not candidates for the approved gene therapy for RP," said Victor H. Gonzalez, Valley Retina Institute, McAllen, Texas, Faculty at University of Texas Rio Grande Valley and the Primary Investigator for the liMeliGhT clinical trial. "I am enthusiastic about the possibility of offering my patients with RP a safe, effective and durable treatment option that could potentially stabilize vision loss or improve vision."
Positive long-term, 3-year Phase 1/2 data for OCU400 was recently assessed in evaluable subjects and builds on prior 2-year results showing consistent clinically meaningful, approximately 2-line LLVA gain across mutations. OCU400 maintained a favorable durability, safety and tolerability profile with no new treatment-related serious adverse events or adverse events of interest emerged. Additional data include:
- Visual function benefits were consistently observed over 3 years, with 88% (7/8) of evaluable treated subjects showing improvement or preservation versus untreated fellow eyes
- Approximately 2-line gain (N=8) observed across multiple mutation types in treated eyes compared to untreated eyes at 3 years
Enrollment completion in the OCU400 Phase 3 clinical trial combined with positive 3-year data from the Phase 1/2 study are important accomplishments in the Company's plan to begin bringing this potential gene therapy to patients in 2027. Ocugen remains on track to file the rolling BLA in the third quarter of 2026.
