Merck Completes Acquisition of EyeBio, Advances Restoret™ for Retinal Diseases

Merck has completed the acquisition of Eyebiotech Limited (EyeBio), making it a wholly-owned subsidiary of Merck.

"The acquisition of EyeBio enhances our late-stage pipeline with a promising candidate grounded in novel biology and genetics for treating certain retinal diseases," said Dr. Dean Y. Li, president of Merck Research Laboratories. "We are thrilled to welcome the EyeBio team and collaborate to advance Restoret for patients in need."

EyeBio’s lead candidate, Restoret™ (EYE103), is an investigational tetravalent, tri-specific antibody that acts as an agonist of the Wingless-related integration site (Wnt) signaling pathway. Following positive outcomes from the open-label Phase 1b/2a AMARONE study in patients with diabetic macular edema (DME) and neovascular age-related macular degeneration (NVAMD), Restoret is set to enter a pivotal Phase 2b/3 trial for DME treatment in the latter half of 2024.

EyeBio’s pipeline also includes clinical and preclinical assets aimed at preventing and treating vision loss due to retinal vascular leakage, a risk factor for retinal diseases.