Aerie Pharmaceuticals Inc., a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of first-in-class therapies for the treatment of patients with glaucoma and other diseases of the eye, and GrayBug Inc., a venture-stage pharmaceutical company developing microparticle controlled release drug delivery technologies for the treatment of ocular diseases including wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and glaucoma, have formed a research collaboration and license agreement to deliver certain of Aerie’s preclinical product candidates to both the front and back of the eye using GrayBug’s proprietary technology.

Initially, the partnership will focus on evaluating the ability of GrayBug’s polymer-based delivery technology to provide multi-month drug release capability for an Aerie small molecule for wet AMD. Pre-clinical in vivo studies showed that Aerie’s AR-13154 molecule reduced wet AMD lesion size more than the market-leading product Eylea (aflibercept). AR-13154 targets Rho Kinase, Janus Kinase 2, and platelet-derived growth factor receptor beta.

The research collaboration also provides Aerie with the ability to evaluate long-term sustained delivery of the active ingredient in Rhopressa to the anterior chamber of the eye for patients with glaucoma and ocular hypertension.

The agreement provides for a one-year research collaboration and include an exclusive option for Aerie to obtain from GrayBug an exclusive license to use the GrayBug technology to develop and commercialize sustained-release versions of Aerie’s ophthalmic products.

“We are delighted to collaborate with GrayBug, and we believe their technologies will provide Aerie with the ability to make excellent progress in understanding the potential of Aerie’s small molecules to provide new treatment approaches to serious diseases of the eye,” said Vicente Anido Jr., Aerie’s chairman and chief executive officer. “AR-13154 has shown impressive results pre-clinically, and we believe the best way to provide sustained delivery of this product to the back of the eye is through GrayBug’s unique delivery platform. We are also interested in further evaluating front of the eye applications for our glaucoma product set.”