Michael Rowe
Analyst · Ladenburg Thalmann. Please proceed
Thank you, Eric, and welcome to our second quarter 2024 financial results conference call. During the second quarter, we advanced several initiatives that we discussed previously that are designed to strengthen the inherent value of Eyenovia. These include our novel Optejet dispensing technology which we recently bought into three dry eye collaboration agreements of significant midterm potential value; two FDA-approved products, Mydcombi and Clobetasol and MicroPine. MicroPine is the only drug device combination therapy in late Phase III development for use in pediatric progressive myopia and is rapidly approaching a pivotal data readout. At Eyenovia, our vision is to enhance yours by making topical ophthalmic therapies easier to use and easier to live with. By addressing a broad range of patients and eye care practitioner needs with novel technologies and products that are designed to be user-friendly, we believe we are building a strong foundation for accelerating value creation in 2025 and beyond. I would like to begin this afternoon with an update on MicroPine. Our drug device combination of low-dose atropine administered with our proprietary Optejet dispenser. This regimen is being developed as a potential treatment for progressive myopia in children. Recall that MicroPine is currently being evaluated in the ongoing late Phase III CHAPERONE study. Pediatric progressive myopia is increasingly recognized as an epidemic in both the United States and China. Pediatric myopia is a condition in which the eye abnormally elongates, putting children at risk of losing functional vision and can potentially result in severe retinal complications. In the U.S. alone, of the nearly 20 million children with myopia, approximately $5 million are considered at risk of losing functional vision due to this disease. Additionally, the rights to MicroPine have been licensed to Arctic Vision, our partner in China, who is conducting a clinical trial for submission to the Chinese authority. While glasses and contact lenses are the current standard of care for children diagnosed with myopia, they only slow disease progression, but do not cure the disease. Current treatments are often not well tolerated or appropriate for the youngest, most vulnerable patients who frequently struggle with discomfort and [indiscernible] issues. Atropine has been shown in prior studies such as LAMP and ATOM to slow myopia progression by as much as 60%. And now a proprietary atrophy formulation administered with the Optejet may offer benefits far beyond what could be obtained with a traditional eye drop. With the Optejet technology, children in the CHAPERONE study as young as six years old are dosing themselves nightly with minimal parental supervision. They can self-administer the dose, because the Optejet doesn't require any head tilting or manipulation of an eye dropper bottle, making aiming with the built-in mirror and medication administration achievable. The children can see exactly where they are spraying medication and become familiar and comfortable with the dosing process quickly, which can reduce dosing anxiety and minimizes the myriad of struggles parent face when dosing children with conventional eye drops. The side effects of atropine dosed with the Optejet have been notably mild and transient in the CHAPERONE study. These results are consistent with what we have come to expect with our advanced drug device dosing system. Throughout the trial, we have been measuring the performance of the Optejet with embedded firmware that allows study doctors to better understand how and when the device has been used. Each time the dosing button is pressed to administer medication, the device records the event and stores the information. This information can be accessed and reviewed by the clinic staff during visits from the study. For the commercial product, we anticipate MicroPine will be equipped with our Optecare system, which can notify patients and their parents when to administer their spray dose as well as communicate important compliance and adherence information to the treating physician. Our engineers are working today on plans to validate the system for FDA approval. We are continuing to advance the Phase III CHAPERONE study and are planning for an efficacy analysis in the fourth quarter of this year once a statistically sufficient number of patients have reached the study efficacy end points. If the results are positive, this would significantly derisk the program and potentially enable an NDA submission as soon as late 2025 or early 2026. Recall that the FDA has agreed that a properly conducted single Phase III study could be sufficient for an NDA filing and approval. As we have mentioned before, we believe this program would then present a very attractive opportunity for commercialization either by us or a larger partner. Turning now to dry eye. Since our last quarterly update, we have executed three collaboration agreements that leverage our Optejet dispenser for dry eye. Symptoms of dry eye can significantly interfere with daily life, leaving many patients unsatisfied with currently available therapies. According to a recent survey, while 48% of patients reported carefully following their treatment plans, only 13% experienced lasting relief. Nearly 16 million Americans suffer from dry eye with treatment expenditures totaling over $3 billion in the U.S. and $5 billion globally. Beginning with Formosa. We recently announced that we signed an agreement to develop a formulation of Clobetasol in the Optejet as a potential treatment for acute dry eye. This development program, which would require two 15-day clinical trials, would be free of any upfront fees from Eyenovia or development milestones to Formosa until the product is FDA approved. This is an ideal extension of our existing relationship with Formosa and demonstrates how we can extend the use of an eye drop formulation through incorporation of the Optejet. We also recently signed a collaboration agreement with Senju Pharmaceutical to develop a new adjunctive treatment for chronic dry eye disease. For the terms of that agreement, we will jointly work to develop Senju's epithelial wound healing candidate, SJP-0035, to use with our Optejet dispenser. This potential drug device combination is unique because it would be designed for use alongside other dry eye medications. In other words, it complements existing products rather than competing with them. We are working towards a meeting with the FDA later this year, followed by completion of a Phase IIb study in 2025. If successful, the companies will expand this collaboration to initiate two Phase III studies by 2026. SJP-0035 has been shown to be well tolerated at prior Phase I and Phase II studies as a standard eye drop tested at multiple doses in over 250 subjects. And continuing on with the topic of dry eye. In late February, we entered into a collaboration agreement with SGN Nanopharma, an innovation-led clinical-stage nano pharmaceutical company focused on creating impactful, best-in-class nanotherapeutics targeting large unmet medical needs. SGN's proprietary myocellular nanoparticle platform allows for the distribution of an active pharmaceutical ingredient into three or more phases, thereby improving its bioavailability, biodistribution and pharmacokinetics. Per the terms of the agreement, Eyenovia has been conducting feasibility and process manufacturing testing with SGN's Phase III-ready ophthalmic cyclosporin formulation, SGN-101, in combination with our Gen 2 Optejet device as a potential treatment for chronic dry eye. A combination of a faster working cyclosporin than the Optejet could be a powerful new treatment option for this large and underserved market. With the SGN collaboration, we may have this Phase III-ready asset next year in chronic dry eye. With these three agreements, we can potentially cover the entire dry eye market, which is a $3 billion annual addressable market in the United States with a multimillion patient population and significant unmet needs. We anticipate achieving this through an acute product for flare-ups with Formosa, an adjunctive chronic medication with Senju and a chronic medication with SGN. Now, I'd like to discuss Clobetasol. The FDA approved Clobetasol on March 4 and shortly after, the new drug application or NDA for this product was transferred to us from Formosa. Clobetasol is the first new ophthalmic steroid approved in the U.S. in over 15 years. Clobetasol addresses many unmet needs in ophthalmic steroids with its highly differentiated clinical and pharmacologic profile. It offers twice daily dosing and from a safety perspective, fewer than 1% of patients experience sudden eye pressure increases, which may be more common with other steroids. Intraocular inflammation and eye pressure spikes are the primary safety concerns for eye surgeons as they can lead to serious clinical consequences, complications and non-reimbursable costs for providers. We believe that Clobetasol has the potential to become the leading option in the postsurgical space. This unique steroid is the first product developed using Formosa's proprietary APNT nanoparticle formulation platform. Patients do not have to shape the product prior to use, and that is just one of the unique elements of our approved label. While that may seem minor, it highlights the key difference between Clobetasol and other ophthalmic steroids. Clobetasol's efficacy and its previously discussed safety profile further set it apart. In clinical results, nearly nine out of 10 patients experienced complete relief from postsurgical pain and 60% had total resolution of inflammation within 15 days after ocular surgery with all side effects occurring in less than 2% of cases. Moreover, twice daily dosing without the need for titration is a clear advantage, especially compared to treatments requiring up to four doses a day. This simplicity is particularly valuable for eye surgery patients who will often use multiple medications during recovery. Both eye doctors and patients will appreciate this advancement, which may simplify the treatment regimen. It is estimated that more than 7 million ocular surgeries are performed annually in the U.S. with topical ocular steroids and steroid combinations currently generating $1.3 billion in sales. This represents a significant market opportunity. We believe we can capture a mid-single-digit market share over the next three or four years, as previously mentioned. Our 10 sales representatives who we began hiring over the last few months and completed their training just two weeks ago are today prequalifying eye surgery offices for their interest in Clobetasol. Each representative or key account manager aims to secure 50 offices in preparation for the product launch in the United States. This approach will allow us to hit the ground running and build upon early success. We had previously communicated that we were planning on a commercial launch this summer, which would be supplemented by our co-promotion agreement with NovaBay Pharmaceuticals. This is still our intent as we await the product arriving here from Formosa. In the meantime, we have expanded our promotional arrangement with NovaBay to include additional products already used by our core customers, enabling our sales force to operate efficiently, while they set the stage for what we believe will be a game changer in the ocular steroid treatment. Now, I'll provide an update on Mydcombi. It is the first and only FDA-approved fixed combination of two well-known pupil dilation drugs, tropicamide and phenylephrine, and the first approved ophthalmic spray using the Optejet platform. Now that the hiring and training of our sales force is complete, and we have satisfied licensing requirements in states covering over two-third of the U.S. population, we are promoting Mydcombi in earnest. As of June 30, we had trained and converted 63 offices. This was up approximately -- from approximately eight offices three months earlier. Many of those customers will see in our social media channel sharing their positive experiences for the product. We are pleased with this initial trajectory and on track to onboard more than 260 new offices by the end of the third quarter. Additionally, we are partnering with these offices on a waiting room promotional campaign to afford patients about Mydcombi. We are also gathering market research information from these offices to help them bolster their practice satisfaction scores and better care for their patients. Offices and institutions, including the University of California and Premier Buying groups like Vision Source, have selected Mydcombi for several compelling reasons. Unlike traditional eye drops, Mydcombi spray delivers precise amount of medication, making the dilation process cleaner and more efficient. Clinical studies have reported virtually no stinging, ensuring the comfortable experience for patients. Its hygienic design eliminates protruding tips, reducing the risk of cross contamination between patients. Moreover, Mydcombi works reliably and quickly setting it apart from other options. At this point, I'd like to turn the call over to our Chief Operating Officer, Bren Kern, for our manufacturing update. Bren?