Eye-focused biotechs Tenpoint Therapeutics and Visus Therapeutics are joining forces, setting their sights on filing a new drug approval application next year for a presbyopia-correcting eye drop.
London-based Tenpoint and Seattle-based Visus have already finalized the merger, according to a Dec. 12 release. The combined company will operate under the Tenpoint Therapeutics moniker going forward.
The company has also snagged Henric Bjarke to helm the new entity. Bjarke had served as ACM Biosciences’ CEO until October and joined Tenpoint as chief exec that month, according to his LinkedIn profile. He's previously held leadership positions across Inozyme Pharma, Ophthotech and Alexion Pharmaceuticals, among other companies.
The deal has triggered a crossover financing round with participation from numerous investors, including F-Prime Capital and Sofinnova Partners—both former backers of Tenpoint.
The undisclosed sum will fund the completion of clinical trials for Visus’ Brimochol PF, a once-daily eye drop designed to treat presbyopia, which is an age-related decline in the eyes’ ability to focus on nearby objects. The investigational eye drop has already been tested in an initial phase 3 pivotal trial, dubbed BRIO-I, and is currently being studied in a second pivotal study, BRIO-II. The two studies have different primary endpoints and BRIO-II has enrolled nearly triple the participants as BRIO-I.
The combined biotech is prepping for a potential U.S. commercial launch for the eye drop in the first half of 2026.
The biotech will also focus on advancing two programs from Tenpoint that also aim to correct age-related eye conditions.
“As we relaunch Tenpoint as a combined entity with Visus, we are excited to lead with a robust ophthalmology pipeline, starting with Brimochol PF, a near-term therapeutic medicine for presbyopia alongside other innovative therapies to treat cataract and geographic atrophy,” CEO Bjarke said in the release. “With our combined teams, we have the right expertise to develop and successfully launch innovative products with the potential to be first and best in class in ophthalmic medicines.”
Private biotech Tenpoint emerged in 2023 with $70 million and a regenerative medicine platform. The company was previously led by Eddy Anglade, M.D., who has a track record across Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen, Astellas, Roche and Bristol Myers Squibb, among others.