Ocugen Grants Kwangdong Exclusive Korean Rights To OCU400 Gene Therapy For Retinitis Pigmentosa

Ocugen, Inc.,  has signed an exclusive licensing agreement with Kwangdong Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., granting Kwangdong the rights to develop and commercialize OCU400, Ocugen’s modifier gene therapy for retinitis  pigmentosa (RP), in South Korea. The deal provides Ocugen with up to $7.5 million in upfront and near-term development milestone payments.

“Kwangdong is very excited to have the opportunity to provide a new treatment option to Korean patients suffering from RP and the healthcare professionals treating them. From the company’s perspective, this deal with Ocugen is especially meaningful as it allows us to further strengthen our ophthalmology portfolio, alongside our existing pipeline for presbyopia and pediatric myopia. Once the ongoing clinical trial of OCU400 is completed, Kwangdong will make every effort to bring the product to the Korean market as quickly as possible,” said SungWon Choi, CEO & Chairman of Kwangdong. 

Under the agreement, Ocugen will also receive sales milestones of $1.5 million for every $15 million in sales, with projected revenues in Korea expected to exceed $180 million in the first decade of commercialization. In addition, Ocugen will earn a 25% royalty on net sales of OCU400 in Korea. Ocugen will manufacture and supply the commercial product, while Kwangdong will leverage Ocugen’s U.S. Phase 3 clinical trial data and anticipated BLA filing in 2026 to support regulatory approval in Korea.

“We are excited to partner with Kwangdong as our first regional partner in the development and commercialization of our modifier gene therapies across the globe. OCU400 is a potential one-time therapy for life to treat RP and upon local regulatory approval, patients in Korea with this devastating condition will be able to access OCU400 through Kwangdong,” said Dr. Shankar Musunuri, Chairman, CEO, and Co-founder of Ocugen. 

South Korea has an estimated 7,000 patients living with RP, representing roughly 7% of the U.S. market. Ocugen believes this partnership gives Kwangdong the opportunity to emerge as a leader in ophthalmic gene therapy in Korea, while delivering a novel treatment to patients facing progressive vision loss. For Ocugen, the collaboration represents a strategic step in expanding global access to its gene therapy pipeline.