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Oxular

Biotech & Life Sciences · Oxford, United Kingdom · Founded 2014

Oxular is a clinical-stage biotechnology company that was founded in 2014 by Tom Cavanagh and Ron Yamamoto. The company focuses on developing long-lasting treatments for retinal diseases to improve patients' vision. In January 2025, Oxular was acquired by Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, a global biotechnology firm, although financial terms were not disclosed. Oxular's core business revolves around its proprietary drug delivery technology. This includes the Oxuspheres™, a biodegradable polymer system for sustained drug release, and the Oxulumis™, a minimally invasive, semi-automated microcatheter for administration. This combination allows for targeted delivery of therapeutics to the suprachoroidal space in the eye, aiming for a once-yearly treatment cycle. This approach is designed to increase treatment effectiveness, enhance patient safety by reducing side effects, and lower the frequency of clinic visits compared to existing standards of care. The company's lead product candidate, OXU-001, is a dexamethasone formulation designed to treat diabetic macular edema (DME), a leading cause of blindness in young adults. In October 2023, Oxular initiated the OXEYE Phase 2 clinical trial to evaluate the safety and efficacy of a single administration of OXU-001 over a 52-week period. The pipeline also includes treatments for other conditions like age-related macular degeneration and rare indications such as retinoblastoma (OXU-003). Prior to its acquisition, Oxular had raised a total of $57.5 million over two funding rounds. A Series A round in July 2016 raised $20.5 million, followed by a $37 million Series B round in March 2021, which was led by Forbion and included investors like IP Group, NeoMed, and V-Bio Ventures. Keywords: retinal therapeutics, suprachoroidal delivery, long-acting drug delivery, diabetic macular edema, ophthalmology, Oxuspheres, Oxulumis, dexamethasone formulation, gene therapy delivery, clinical-stage biotech, retinal disease treatment, minimally invasive administration, ocular drug delivery, sustained-release formulation, macular degeneration, retinoblastoma, posterior eye diseases, vision loss treatment, ophthalmic drug-device combination, single-administration treatment