Ocuphire Announces the U.S. Commercial Launch of RYZUMVl™ (Phentolamine Ophthalmic Solution 0.75%) by its Partner Viatris

FARMINGTON HILLS, Mich., April 01, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Ocuphire Pharma, Inc. (Nasdaq: OCUP), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing novel therapies for the treatment of unmet needs of patients with retinal and refractive eye disorders, today announced the U.S. commercial launch of RYZUMVI^™ (phentolamine ophthalmic solution) by its partner Viatris Inc. (NASDAQ: VTRS).

Ocuphire has a global license agreement with Viatris to co-develop and commercialize Phentolamine Ophthalmic Solution 0.75%. Under the terms of this agreement, Ocuphire is eligible to receive regulatory and commercial milestones as well as royalties.

For more information, please refer to the announcement on the Viatris corporate website at https://newsroom.viatris.com/.

About Ocuphire Pharma

Ocuphire Pharma, Inc. is a clinical-stage ophthalmic biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing small-molecule therapies for the treatment of retinal and refractive eye disorders. Phentolamine is currently being developed in clinical trials for a number of refractive eye disorder indications in partnership with Viatris. Ocuphire’s lead retinal product candidate, APX3330, is a first-in-class small-molecule inhibitor of Ref-1 (reduction oxidation effector factor-1 protein) in clinical development for diabetic retinopathy. APX3330 is not approved for use by any regulatory health authority in any country.

For more information, please visit www.ocuphire.com. 

Forward Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements include, but are not limited to, statements concerning our eligibility for milestone payments under our agreement with Viatris. These forward-looking statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties posed by many factors and events that could cause our actual business, prospects and results of operations to differ materially from those anticipated by such forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to, those described under the heading “Risk Factors” included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this report. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by the following words: “anticipate,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “ongoing,” “plan,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “should,” “will,” “would” or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology, although not all forward-looking statements contain these words. We undertake no obligation to revise any forward-looking statements in order to reflect events or circumstances that might subsequently arise.

These forward-looking statements are based upon Ocuphire’s current expectations and involve assumptions that may never materialize or may prove to be incorrect. Actual results and the timing of events could differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking statements as a result of various risks and uncertainties, including, without limitation:

• The success and timing of regulatory submissions and pre-clinical and clinical trials, including enrollment and data readouts;
• Regulatory requirements or developments;
• Changes to or unanticipated events in connection with clinical trial designs and regulatory pathways;
• Delays or difficulties in the enrollment of patients in clinical trials;
• Substantial competition and rapid technological change;
• Our development of sales and marketing infrastructure;
• Future revenue losses and profitability;
• Our relatively short operating history;
• Changes in capital resource requirements;
• Risks related to the inability of Ocuphire to obtain sufficient additional capital to continue to advance its product candidates and its preclinical programs;
• Domestic and worldwide legislative, regulatory, political and economic developments;
• Employee misconduct;
• Changes in market opportunities and acceptance;
• Reliance on third-parties;
• Future, potential product liability and securities litigation;
• System failures, unplanned events, or cyber incidents;
• The substantial number of shares subject to potential issuance associated with our equity line of credit arrangement;
• Risks that our partnership with Viatris, or our other licensing arrangements, may not facilitate the commercialization or market acceptance of Ocuphire’s product candidates;
• Future fluctuations in the market price of our common stock;
• The success and timing of commercialization of any of Ocuphire’s product candidates; and
• Obtaining and maintaining Ocuphire’s intellectual property rights.

The foregoing review of important factors that could cause actual events to differ from expectations should not be construed as exhaustive. Readers are urged to carefully review and consider the various disclosures made by us in this report and in our other reports filed with the SEC that advise interested parties of the risks and factors that may affect our business. All forward-looking statements contained in this press release speak only as of the date on which they were made. Ocuphire undertakes no obligation to update such statements to reflect events that occur or circumstances that exist after the date on which they were made.

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