Ocugen inks another licensing deal for eye disease gene therapy

Ocugen has signed a licensing agreement with Celairis Therapeutics granting the Sydney-based biotech the exclusive rights to commercialize OCU400, Ocugen’s novel modifier gene therapy for the treatment of retinitis pigmentosa, in Australia, New Zealand, and ASEAN markets.

Under the deal, Ocugen will receive an upfront license fee and up to $7.1 million in development and milestone payments, including $6.1 million tied to the upfront payment and OCU400 top-line results, expected in the first quarter of 2027. Ocugen is also eligible for a high-single-digit royalty on net sales and 50% of gross profits from OCU400 sales. The companies also expect to enter into a supply agreement under which Ocugen will manufacture and supply OCU400, while Celairis will oversee regional regulatory submissions, market access, and commercialization.

Ocugen recently executed a similar licensing agreement for OCU400 with Roots Pharmaceutical and its strategic partner Al-Dhow International Holding in the Middle East and North Africa region. In September 2025, Ocugen licensed the Korean rights to OCU400 to Kwangdong Pharmaceutical.

OCU400 is Ocugen's lead modifier gene therapy, built on a gene-agnostic approach meant to correct the broader network of genes implicated in retinitis pigmentosa — the leading cause of inherited vision loss globally — rather than targeting one mutation at a time. Ocugen believes the approach could serve a wider swath of the retinitis pigmentosa population regardless of genotype.

The program is still working through its pivotal phase 3 liMeliGhT trial in the U.S., with a topline readout expected in the first quarter of 2027 and a BLA filing to follow.