Glaukos (NYSE:GKOS) announced today that it entered into a licensing agreement with Attillaps for its library of pharmaceutical compounds.
San Clemente, California-based Glaukos was granted a global exclusive license to research, develop, manufacture and commercialize Attillaps’ proprietary library of investigational pharmaceutical compounds that target the eradication of Demodex mites — the root cause of Demodex blepharitis often associated with meibomian gland dysfunction and related ophthalmic diseases.
Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed, according to a news release.
Under the agreement, Glaukos has the exclusive licensing for the products using certain acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitors for the treatment of ophthalmic diseases caused by Demodex mites. Attillaps’ lead compounds have demonstrated promising in-vitro results in preclinical settings, the company said.
“This licensing agreement adds a promising therapeutic class that expands the focus of our emerging Corneal Health franchise into new and globally underserved disease indications,” Glaukos president & CEO Thomas Burns said in the release. “Attillaps’ proprietary compounds and targeted ophthalmic indications are highly complementary to our expanding portfolio of sustained pharmaceuticals and represent a synergistic fit with our ongoing corneal health R&D initiatives.”
“We are incredibly excited about the development and commercial prospects of our novel platform in various therapeutic applications, particularly in the ophthalmology sector,” added Attillaps founder & CEO Frank Spallitta. “Glaukos is a world-class ophthalmic company, and we couldn’t envision a more compelling licensing partner to advance our platform as a potential solution for the many patients suffering from these challenging conditions that currently have no approved treatments.”
