Everest Medicines Expands into Ophthalmology with Licensing Agreement for VIS-101 in Asia

Everest Medicines has announced its entry into the ophthalmology field through an exclusive licensing agreement with Visara, a subsidiary of NovaBridge Biosciences. The deal grants Everest rights to develop, manufacture, and commercialize the retinal disease candidate VIS-101 in Greater China, Singapore, South Korea, and select Southeast Asian countries.

Strategic Entry into Ophthalmology

With this licensing agreement, Everest Medicines officially expands its therapeutic portfolio into the ophthalmology sector. The collaboration with Visara introduces a promising retinal disease candidate, VIS-101, into Everest's pipeline, marking a significant milestone in the company's growth strategy.

About VIS-101: A Novel Bifunctional Biologic

VIS-101 is a first-in-class bifunctional biologic therapy that targets both VEGF-A and ANG-2. This dual-targeting approach is designed to deliver improved potency and extended therapeutic durability compared to existing treatment options for wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD), diabetic macular edema (DME), and retinal vein occlusion (RVO).

VIS-101 has already completed initial safety and dose-escalation studies in both the United States and China. It is currently undergoing a randomized, dose-ranging Phase 2 clinical trial in China and is expected to be Phase 3-ready by 2026.

Licensing Terms and Financial Structure

Under the terms of the agreement:

       • Everest Medicines will make an upfront payment of $7 million (approximately RMB49.7 million)

       • It will also reimburse up to $3.4 million (RMB24.0 million) in prior development expenses

       • The company is committed to milestone payments of up to $89 million (approximately RMB632 million)

       • Additionally, Everest will pay tiered royalties based on future net sales

Executive Perspective

“We are pleased to collaborate with Visara,” stated Rogers Yongqing Luo, Chief Executive Officer of Everest Medicines. “This partnership brings a highly differentiated and commercially attractive asset to Everest’s late-stage pipeline and marks our entry into ophthalmology, a therapeutically attractive area with significant unmet medical needs. Leveraging Everest’s clinical development and commercialization expertise, we look forward to advancing VIS-101, a potential best-in-class bifunctional antibody, towards commercialization in China and across Asia.”