OPT and VEGF-C/D relevance:
a) The TKI AMD treatments, unlike the mab treatments, tend to be pan-VEFGR inhibitors. Vorolonib (used by EYPT), for instance, is actually a better inhibitor of VEGFR3 (VEGF-C/D receptor) than of other receptors. And that isn't working out too well. (Axitinib, used by OCUL, is more equal across VEGFR-1/2/3).
b) However the OPT ph2b look good - so maybe there is another path or they, by being targeted, are more potent? But in any case the improvement in the ph2b was 'only' 3 letters, which is under the typical Non-Inferiority margin often used in wAMD. Given Vabysmo's uptake rate and my own personal experience with an EXTREMELY diligent friend's reaction to bimonthly injections of something VERY uncomfortable - I doubt 3 pts additional improvement is enough to pull big market away from Vabysmo etc.
c) However^2... OPT seems to know this and is trying to target a population that got much better improvement (vs SOC) in order to get a stronger response. (One interesting component of this is that the wAMD type that they are targeting is 'Asian' enriched since, apparently, Asians (I assume they mean E Asian because Australia doesn't have the same weird categories as US?) have a much higher prevalence of this form of wAMD)
All told... it's will be an interesting trial - and a risk to OCUL etc, but probably mostly marginal?
AI
