Massachusetts Company’s New Eye Drug Shows Promise Over Current Treatment

A Massachusetts pharmaceutical company announced Tuesday that its experimental treatment for a leading cause of blindness in seniors performed better than an existing approved medication in clinical trials. The drug showed superior results in helping patients preserve their vision over a one-year period.

A Massachusetts pharmaceutical company announced Tuesday that its investigational treatment for a serious eye condition outperformed an existing approved medication in advanced clinical testing.

Ocular Therapeutix revealed that their experimental drug demonstrated superior effectiveness compared to Regeneron’s established treatment Eylea in helping patients preserve their eyesight during late-stage trials.

According to the company, this marks the first instance where an investigational medication for wet age-related macular degeneration has delivered better outcomes than an FDA-approved therapy in trials conducted under rigorous regulatory standards.

This progressive eye condition represents a primary factor in vision loss among older adults, resulting in fuzzy sight or dark spots within a person’s field of vision. The disease impacts approximately 1.7 million people across the United States, the company reported.

The clinical study included 344 participants recently diagnosed with wet AMD and showed that Ocular’s medication, called Axpaxli, delivered better results than Eylea, which ranks among the most commonly prescribed therapies for this condition.

Results showed that roughly 74% of participants receiving one 0.45 mg injection of Axpaxli retained their vision after 36 weeks, while approximately 56% of those given a single 2 mg injection of Eylea achieved the same outcome. At the one-year mark, close to 66% of Axpaxli recipients maintained their vision, compared to less than half in the comparison group.

Despite gaining nearly 39% in value during 2025, Ocular’s stock price dropped approximately 25% during pre-market trading following the announcement.

Needham analyst Serge Belanger noted that eye specialists may find the data encouraging, though investors might feel let down by “the much narrower difference” between the treatments and increased rates of eye floaters and cataracts.

The experimental medication also showed improved management of eye fluid accumulation, which serves as an important indicator of disease control.

The company reported that numerous Axpaxli patients avoided needing additional “rescue” treatments for nearly twelve months, indicating the therapy could potentially decrease required medical appointments.

Ocular Therapeutix stated they intend to review the trial data with federal regulators and anticipate filing for marketing approval based on these findings.