The dry eye drug market war is about to start! There are already a number of pharmaceutical companies on the track

The eye is a very important organ for human beings, and as eye health becomes more and more important, treatment drugs related to eye diseases have also ushered in rapid growth
.
Among them, dry eye syndrome (DED) is a kind of ophthalmic disease, which is caused by the imbalance of tear film homeostasis caused by ocular surface damage and discomfort symptoms, often manifested as dry eyes, foreign body sensation, burning sensation, red eye itching, blurred vision, pain, photophobia and tearing, and in severe cases, it may also lead to corneal damage and even visual impairment
.
According to epidemiological surveys, the incidence of dry eye in the world is 8%-34%, and the incidence of dry eye in Asia is the first, of which the incidence in China has reached 21%-30%.

In recent years, the market demand for dry eye drugs has continued to grow, and a research report shows that in China, the size of China's DED drug market in 2021 will be about 3.
85 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 12.
4%.

In the face of the new blue ocean of the market, many domestic and foreign pharmaceutical companies are actively layout, and the news of new developments in dry eye drugs is continuous
.
It is reported that Aldeyra recently announced that the company has submitted a new drug application
for reproxalap eye drops for the treatment of dry eye syndrome to the US FDA.
reproxalap is an investigational first in class small molecule reactive aldehyde substance (RASP) inhibitor that primarily treats eye diseases
by binding and trapping free aldehydes.
If successfully launched, the product will provide new treatment options
for dry eye patients.
In addition to reproxalap, there are several foreign dry eye drugs in clinical phase 3 that are worth paying attention to, such as timbetasin of RegeneRx, tavilermide of Mimetogen, BRM421 of BRIM Biotechnology, PL-9643 of Palatin, and Tivanisiran of Sylentis.
and NOV03 of Novaliq in Germany
.
It is reported that the NOV03 clinical phase III trial has reached the main endpoint, and it is expected that an NDA
will also be submitted this year or next year.
It is worth noting that Hengrui Pharmaceutical introduced NOV03
from Novaliq in November 2019.
In China, a number of local pharmaceutical companies have also poured into the field of
dry eye treatment in recent years.
For example, the above-mentioned Hengrui Pharmaceutical, the pharmaceutical company introduced NOV03 from Novaliq, the company updated the announcement in March this year, SHR8028 eye drops clinical trial application was approved by China's State Food and Drug Administration, and the product is currently undergoing phase III clinical trials
in the United States.
For example, Kangzhe Pharmaceutical also introduced a dry eye drug Cequa from India's Sun Pharmaceutical in 2019, which is a new patented nanomicelle formula with a concentration of cyclosporine of 0.
09%, which is a clear permeable solution
without preservatives.
In addition, in July 2018, Eyum Biologics obtained the exclusive perpetual commercial license right of SkQ1 eye drops for the treatment of dry eye from Mitotech in Luxembourg in Singapore and Greater China, and Harbour Biopharma introduced tenacept from HanAll Biopharma
.
In addition to the introduction of products, many local pharmaceutical companies, including Kanghong Pharmaceutical, Zhongsheng Pharmaceutical, Xingqi Eye Medicine, etc.
, are independently developing ophthalmic drugs
.
On June 23, 2020, Xingqi Eye Medicine's 0.
05% cyclosporine eye drops were officially approved by the NMPA, becoming the first cyclosporine ophthalmic preparation approved for dry eye in China, bringing good news
to domestic dry eye patients.
It is foreseeable that with the acceleration of the progress of major dry eye drugs, more drugs will be launched one after another, which will bring more treatment options to the majority of dry eye patients, and the entire drug market will continue to expand, and market competition may be more intense
.
Disclaimer: Under no circumstances does the information or opinions expressed herein constitute investment advice
to anyone.