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UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K

(Mark One)

☒ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020

☐TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the transition period from to

Commission file number 001-36554

Ocular Therapeutix, Inc.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

(State or other jurisdiction of (I.R.S. Employer

incorporation or organization) Identification No.)

24 Crosby Drive

(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code)

(781) 357-4000

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Title of each class Trading Symbol Name of each exchange on which registered

Common Stock, $0.0001 par value per share OCUL Nasdaq Global Market

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. ⌧Yes◻ No

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act. ◻ Yes ⌧No

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. ⌧Yes◻ No

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). ⌧Yes◻ No

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

Large accelerated filer ☐ Accelerated filer ☐

Non-accelerated filer ☒ Smaller reporting company ☒

Emerging growth company ☐

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report. ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). ☐ Yes ☒ No

As of June 30, 2020, the aggregate market value of the voting and non-voting common equity held by non-affiliates of the registrant was approximately $478 million. The number of shares outstanding of the registrant’s class of common stock, as of March 1, 2021: 76,069,673.

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

Part III of this Annual Report incorporates by reference information from the definitive Proxy Statement for the registrant’s 2021 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, which is expected to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission not later than 120 days after the registrant’s fiscal year ended December 31, 2020.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

PART I

Item 1. Business 4

Item 1A. Risk Factors 77

Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments 125

Item 2. Properties 125

Item 3. Legal Proceedings 125

Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures 125

PART II

Item 6. Selected Financial Data 126

Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk 146

Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data 146

Item 9A. Controls and Procedures 146

Item 9B. Other Information 147

PART III

Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance 148

Item 11. Executive Compensation 148

Item 14. Principal Accounting Fees and Services 149

PART IV

Item 15. Exhibits, Financial Statement Schedules 150

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FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This Annual Report on Form 10-K contains forward-looking statements that involve substantial risks and uncertainties. All statements, other than statements of historical facts, contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, including statements regarding our strategy, future operations, future financial position, future revenues, projected costs, prospects, plans and objectives of management, are forward-looking statements. The words “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “might,” “plan,” “predict,” “project,” “target,” “potential,” “goals,” “will,” “would,” “could,” “should,” “continue” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words.

The forward-looking statements in this Annual Report on Form 10-K include, among other things, statements about:

● our commercialization efforts for our product DEXTENZA®;

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● our intellectual property position;

● the impact of government laws and regulations;

● the costs and outcomes of legal actions and proceedings;

● our competitive position.

We may not actually achieve the plans, intentions or expectations disclosed in our forward-looking statements, and you should not place undue reliance on our forward-looking statements. Actual results or events could differ materially from the plans, intentions and expectations disclosed in the forward-looking statements we make. We have included important factors in the cautionary statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, particularly in the “Risk Factors” section, that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from the forward-looking statements that we make. Our forward-looking statements do not reflect the potential impact of any future acquisitions, mergers, dispositions, joint ventures, licensing agreements or investments we may make.

You should read this Annual Report on Form 10-K and the documents that we have filed as exhibits to this Annual Report on Form 10-K completely and with the understanding that our actual future results may be materially different from what we expect. We do not assume any obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable law.

Summary of Risks Related to our Business

Our business, financial condition, results of operations and future growth prospects are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties that you should be aware of before making an investment decision, as more fully described under the heading “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this Annual Report. These risks include, but are not limited to, the following:

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PART I

Item 1. Business

Overview of Ocular Therapeutix

We are a biopharmaceutical company focused on the formulation, development and commercialization of innovative therapies for diseases and conditions of the eye using our proprietary, bioresorbable hydrogel platform technology. We use this technology to tailor duration and amount of delivery of a range of therapeutic agents in our product candidates.

We currently incorporate therapeutic agents that have previously received regulatory approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, including small molecules and proteins, into our hydrogel technology with the goal of providing local programmed-release of drug to the eye. We believe that our local programmed-release drug delivery technology has the potential to treat conditions and diseases of both the front and the back of the eye and can be administered through a range of different modalities including intravitreal implants, suprachoroidal implants, intracameral implants and intracanalicular inserts. We have product candidates in preclinical and clinical development designed to utilize this technology to treat retinal diseases including wet age-related macular degeneration, or wet AMD; glaucoma and ocular hypertension; and ocular surface diseases and conditions including dry eye disease and ocular itching associated with allergic conjunctivitis. We also have two FDA-approved products in commercialization in the United States: DEXTENZA®, an intracanalicular insert for the treatment of post-surgical ocular inflammation and pain, and ReSure® Sealant, an ophthalmic device designed to prevent wound leaks in corneal incisions following cataract surgery.

Our earlier-stage assets include four programs in clinical development:

●OTX-TKI, an axitinib intravitreal implant administered by fine-gauge needle for the treatment of wet AMD;

●OTX-TIC, a travoprost intracameral implant for the reduction of intraocular pressure, or IOP, in patients with glaucoma or ocular hypertension;

●OTX-CSI, a cyclosporine intracanalicular insert for the chronic treatment of dry eye disease; and

●OTX-DED, a dexamethasone intracanalicular insert for the short-term treatment of the signs and symptoms of dry eye disease.

We have a collaboration with Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc., or Regeneron, for the development and potential commercialization of products containing our local programmed-release hydrogel in combination with Regeneron’s vascular endothelial growth factor, or VEGF inhibitor, aflibercept, currently marketed under the brand name Eylea. We also continue to assess the potential use of our hydrogel platform technology in other areas of the body.

Retinal Disease Programs

We are engaged in the development of formulations of our hydrogel administered via intravitreal injection to address large markets for diseases and conditions of the back of the eye which we believe have significant growth potential. Our initial development efforts for our retinal disease programs have focused on the use of our extended-delivery hydrogel in combination with anti-angiogenic drugs, such as TKIs or protein-based anti-VEGF drugs, for the treatment of retinal diseases such as wet AMD; diabetic macular edema, or DME; and retinal vein occlusion, or RVO. Our initial goal for these programs is to provide extended delivery for at least six months, thereby reducing the frequency of the current monthly or bi-monthly immediate release intravitreal anti-VEGF injection regimens for wet AMD and other retinal diseases.

OTX-TKI (axitinib intravitreal implant)

Our product candidate OTX-TKI is a preformed, bioresorbable hydrogel fiber implant incorporating a small molecule tyrosine kinase inhibitor, or TKI, axitinib, with anti-angiogenic properties delivered by intravitreal injection

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and designed for a duration of six months or longer. TKIs have shown promise in the treatment of wet AMD. In the first quarter of 2019, we began dosing patients in a multi-center, open-label, dose-escalation Phase 1 clinical trial in Australia designed to evaluate the safety, durability and tolerability of OTX-TKI. We are evaluating biological activity by measuring retinal thickness using spectral domain optical coherence tomography, or OCT, and following visual acuity over time. Two cohorts were initially enrolled: a lower dose cohort of 200 μg with six subjects and a higher dose cohort of 400 μg with seven subjects. We are actively enrolling a third cohort of 12 subjects, split between parallel arms of six subjects each. Subjects in the first arm of the third cohort will receive a dose of 600 μg, and subjects in the second arm will receive a 400 μg dose combined with an anti-VEGF induction injection.

At the Angiogenesis, Exudations, and Degeneration Virtual Conference in February 2021, we presented interim data from the Phase 1 clinical trial. In the Phase 1 clinical trial, OTX-TKI was observed to have a generally favorable safety profile, with no reported ocular serious adverse events. Some subjects in the Phase 1 clinical trial have shown a decrease in intraretinal or subretinal fluid by two months, and interim data suggests that OTX-TKI might have an extended duration of action beyond that of the current standard of care.

We plan to initiate a prospective, randomized, controlled Phase 1 clinical trial in the United States under an exploratory investigational new drug, or eIND, application in mid-2021 to evaluate a single implant 600 μg dose of OTX-TKI (combined with an anti-VEGF induction injection) in comparison with a 2 mg dose of aflibercept. We have requested a pre-investigational new drug, or IND, application meeting with the FDA to discuss the possibility of transitioning from an eIND application to a traditional IND application.

Pending our receipt and review of the topline data from the Phase 1 clinical trial in Australia and related regulatory discussions, we also plan to initiate a Phase 2 clinical trial in Australia to compare the administration of a single implant 600 μg dose of OTX-TKI (combined with an anti-VEGF induction injection) to a 2 mg dose of aflibercept dosed every 8 weeks as the comparator.

OTX-AFS (aflibercept suprachoroidal injection) in collaboration with Regeneron

As described above, in October 2016, we entered into a strategic collaboration, option and license agreement with Regeneron for the development and potential commercialization of products using our local programmed-release hydrogel in combination with, among other things, Regeneron’s large molecule VEGF-targeting compounds for the treatment of retinal diseases, with the initial focus on the VEGF trap aflibercept. We and Regeneron amended this agreement in May 2020 to, among other things, transition joint efforts under the collaboration to the research and development of an extended-delivery formulation of aflibercept to be delivered to the suprachoroidal space which we refer to as OTX-AFS. Under the amended agreement, we have provided certain formulations to Regeneron who have agreed to perform preclinical assessments of OTX-AFS.

Glaucoma Program

Our development efforts for our glaucoma program have focused on the use of our extended-delivery hydrogel in combination with travoprost, an FDA-approved prostaglandin analog designed to lower elevated IOP. Our initial goal for this program is to provide extended delivery over at least four months with a single treatment.

OTX-TIC (travoprost intracameral implant)

Our product candidate OTX-TIC is a bioresorbable hydrogel implant incorporating travoprost that is designed to be administered by a physician as an intracameral injection with an initial target duration of drug release of four to six months. We are currently conducting a multi-center, open-label, dose-escalation, proof-of-concept Phase 1 clinical trial to evaluate the safety, biological activity, durability and tolerability of OTX-TIC compared to topical travoprost (eye drops) in patients with primary open-angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension. The trial consists of four patient cohorts: cohort 1 is 5 subjects who are receiving a 15 μg dose, cohort 2 is 4 subjects who are receiving a 26 μg dose, cohort 3 is 5 subjects who are receiving a 15 μg with a fast-degrading implant, and cohort 4 is 5 subjects who are receiving a 5 μg with a fast-degrading implant.

We presented interim data on all four patient cohorts at the Glaucoma360 Virtual Conference in January 2021. In this Phase 1 clinical trial, with a single implant, several subjects were able to achieve a decrease in IOP at least as large as that of the current standard of care. Many subjects exhibited an IOP-lowering effect of more than six months in

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cohorts 1 and 2 and between three and six months in cohorts 3 and 4, the cohorts in which the fast-degrading implant was used. In the clinical trial, OTX-TIC was observed to have a generally favorable safety profile, with no reported ocular serious adverse events. Corneal health, as measured by endothelial cell counts, pachymetry assessments and slit lamp examinations did not indicate a clinically meaningful change from baseline.

In mid-2021, we plan to initiate a Phase 2 clinical trial to evaluate two formulations of OTX-TIC for the treatment of glaucoma or ocular hypertension in patients compared to Durysta (Allergan). The non-study eye of each patient will receive a topical prostaglandin daily. Certain subjects in the Phase 2 clinical trial will receive the same formulation used in cohort 1 of the Phase 1 clinical trial, containing a 26 μg dose of drug and utilizing a standard implant, and others will receive the same formulation used in cohort 4 of the Phase 1 clinical trial, containing a 5 μg dose of drug and utilizing a fast-degrading implant.

Ocular Surface Disease Programs

We are engaged in the development of formulations of our hydrogel administered via intracanalicular inserts to address large markets for diseases and conditions of the surface of the eye. Our initial development efforts are focused on the use of our extended-delivery hydrogel in combination with well-known and well-understood drugs (cyclosporine and corticosteroids) for the treatment of dry eye disease and allergic conjunctivitis.

Dry Eye Disease

OTX-CSI (cyclosporine intracanalicular insert)

Our product candidate, OTX-CSI, incorporates the FDA-approved immunomodulator cyclosporine as a preservative-free active pharmaceutical ingredient into a hydrogel, drug-eluting intracanalicular insert. The product candidate is designed for a duration of three to four months for patients suffering from moderate to severe dry eye and to be administered by a physician as a bioresorbable intracanalicular insert.

In October 2020, we reported topline data from our five subject Phase 1 clinical trial evaluating OTX-CSI in the treatment of dry eye disease. All subjects completed the 16-week study period with no drop-outs. There were no serious adverse effects reported. The inserts were observed to be generally well-tolerated, and there were no adverse events of stinging, irritation, blurred vision or tearing reported or observed.

In September 2020, we dosed the first patients in a Phase 2 clinical trial designed to assess the safety, tolerability, and durability and to evaluate the efficacy of OTX-CSI for the chronic treatment of dry eye disease. The Phase 2 clinical trial is a U.S.-based, randomized, double-masked, multi-center trial evaluating two different formulations of OTX-CSI compared to a vehicle insert in approximately 140 subjects who are to be followed for a period of approximately 16 weeks. Endpoints include tear production as measured by the Schirmer’s test; signs of dry eye disease as measured by corneal fluorescein staining; and symptoms of dry eye disease as measured by the visual analog scale, or VAS, eye dryness severity score and the VAS dry eye frequency score. We currently anticipate receiving topline data from this Phase 2 clinical trial by year-end 2021.

OTX-DED (dexamethasone intracanalicular insert)

Our product candidate OTX-DED incorporates the FDA-approved corticosteroid dexamethasone as a preservative-free active pharmaceutical ingredient in a hydrogel, drug-eluting intracanalicular insert. OTX-DED incorporates the same active drug as DEXTENZA, but it includes a lower dose of the drug, delivers it via a smaller insert, and is designed to release it over a period of two to three weeks, compared with up to thirty days in the case of DEXTENZA. We believe that OTX-DED will address several of the current limitations of existing dry eye disease steroid treatments, the toxicity associated with preservatives, and the potential for abuse of topical steroids.

In February 2021, we dosed the first patient in a U.S.-based prospective, randomized, double-masked, vehicle-controlled Phase 2 clinical trial evaluating two different formulations of OTX-DED for the short-term treatment of the signs and symptoms of dry eye disease compared to a hydrogel insert in approximately 150 subjects. We anticipate receiving topline data from this Phase 2 clinical trial in the first half of 2022.

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Allergic Conjunctivitis

DEXTENZA (dexamethasone ophthalmic insert) for the Treatment of Ocular Itching Associated with Allergic Conjunctivitis

DEXTENZA, incorporating the corticosteroid dexamethasone, is our FDA-approved intracanalicular insert for the treatment of post-surgical ocular inflammation and pain. We believe that allergic conjunctivitis represents a discrete potential market for DEXTENZA as a physician administered, hands-free, therapy administered in the office setting and designed to release preservative-freedexamethasone to the ocular surface for up to 30 days.

In April 2020, we reported topline results of a 96-subject, third pivotal Phase 3 clinical trial evaluating DEXTENZA for the treatment of ocular itching associated with allergic conjunctivitis. DEXTENZA-treated subjects demonstrated a statistically significant (p-value < 0.0001) difference in mean ocular itching scores, compared to vehicle-treated subjects, at all three pre-specified time points.

In the fourth quarter of 2020, we filed a supplemental new drug application, or sNDA, for DEXTENZA to include the treatment of ocular itching associated with allergic conjunctivitis as an additional indication. The FDA has accepted our sNDA for filing and has established a target action date under the Prescription Drug User Fee Act, commonly known as PDUFA, of October 18, 2021. If our sNDA is approved, we expect to launch DEXTENZA for the treatment of ocular itching associated with allergic conjunctivitis in the first half of 2022.

Post-Surgical Ocular Inflammation and Pain

DEXTENZA (dexamethasone ophthalmic insert) 0.4 mg for intracanalicular use for the Treatment of Post-Surgical Ocular Inflammation and Pain

As described above, DEXTENZA incorporates the FDA-approved corticosteroid dexamethasone as a preservative-free active pharmaceutical ingredient into a hydrogel, drug-eluting intracanalicular insert for the treatment of post-surgical ocular inflammation and pain. We commercially launched DEXTENZA in the United States in July 2019. DEXTENZA is the first FDA-approved intracanalicular insert delivering dexamethasone to treat post-surgical ocular inflammation and pain for up to 30 days with a single administration.

In September 2020, we announced that we had dosed the first patients in a Phase 3 clinical trial evaluating DEXTENZA for the treatment of post-surgical ocular inflammation and pain in children following cataract surgery. This planned clinical trial is a post-approval requirement of the FDA in accordance with the Pediatric Research Equity Act of 2003, in connection with the FDA’s prior approval of DEXTENZA for the treatment of inflammation and pain following ophthalmic surgery in adults.

Additionally, we have received proposals for, and plan to support, several investigator-initiated trials evaluating DEXTENZA in different clinical situations. To date, third-party clinical investigators have initiated over 25 trials to study the use of DEXTENZA in cataract surgery, other ophthalmic surgeries and other potential indications. Seven of the trials have completed enrollment, and the remaining trials are actively enrolling and treated patients are being followed.

ReSure Sealant

In 2014, we commercially launched ReSure Sealant in the United States as a device approved to prevent wound leaks in corneal incisions following cataract surgery. In the pivotal clinical trials that formed the basis for FDA approval, ReSure Sealant provided superior wound closure and a better safety profile than sutured closure.

The FDA required two post-approval studies as a condition for approval of our premarket approval, or PMA, application for ReSure Sealant. The FDA has confirmed that first post-approval study, identified as the Clinical PAS, has been completed. The second post-approval study, which we refer to as the Device Exposure Registry Study, was a retrospective analysis of the IRIS Registry, comparing endophthalmitis rates from sites that purchased ReSure Sealant versus those sites that did not. We completed the retrospective study in accordance with our agreement with the FDA and submitted the final study report for the Device Exposure Registry Study to the FDA in January 2021. We anticipate

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that the FDA will review the report within 90 days of our submission and notify us as to whether our obligation to conduct the post-approval study has been satisfied.

While ReSure Sealant remains commercially available in the United States, commercial and sales support for this product are modest at this time. We have received only limited revenues from ReSure Sealant to date and anticipate only limited sales for 2021.

AffaMed License Agreement

In October 2020, we entered into a license agreement and collaboration with AffaMed Therapeutics Limited, or AffaMed, for the development and commercialization of DEXTENZA and OTX-TIC in mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan; South Korea; and the ASEAN markets (Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam).Under the terms of the agreement, we received an upfront payment of $12 million and are eligible to receive development, regulatory and commercial milestone payments and clinical development support payments of up to $91 million in the aggregate, as well as royalties from future product sales. Royalties are tiered and will range from the low teens to low twenty percent range. In return, we agreed to grant AffaMed exclusive rights to develop and commercialize DEXTENZA for the treatment of post-surgical inflammation and pain following ophthalmic surgery and ocular itching in patients with allergic conjunctivitis, and OTX-TIC for the reduction of elevated intraocular pressure in patients with primary open-angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension in specified Asian markets. We retain the right to develop and commercialize DEXTENZA and OTX-TIC in all other global markets.

Additional Potential Areas for Growth

We continue to leverage the potential of our hydrogel platform to explore areas for growth with our focus on formulating, developing and commercializing innovative therapies for diseases and conditions of the eye. In September 2018, we entered into a second amended and restated license agreement, or Second Amended Agreement, with Incept LLC, an intellectual property holding company, or Incept. The Second Amended Agreement expanded the scope of our intellectual property license to include products delivered for the treatment of acute post-surgical pain or for the treatment of ear, nose and/or throat diseases or conditions, subject to specified exceptions.

Market Background

Our clinical stage product candidates and our marketed products are based on a proprietary bioresorbable hydrogel technology platform that uses polyethylene glycol, or PEG, as a key component. Bioresorbable materials gradually break down in the body into non-toxic, water soluble compounds that are cleared by normal biological processes. PEG is used in many pharmaceutical products and is widely considered to be safe and biocompatible. Our technology platform allows us to tailor the physical properties, drug release profiles and bioresorption rates of our hydrogels to meet the needs of specific clinical indications. We have used this platform to engineer each of our intracanalicular insert, intracameral implant, and intravitreal implant product candidates; our suprachoroidal formulations; and ReSure Sealant. Our technical capabilities include a deep understanding of the polymer chemistry of PEG-based hydrogels and the design of the specialized manufacturing processes required to achieve a reliable, preservative-free and high purity product.

Product Pipeline

The following table summarizes the status of our key product development programs and DEXTENZA, our marketed product. We hold worldwide exclusive commercial rights to the core technology underlying all of our products in development and have not granted commercial rights to any marketing partners other than the option on commercial rights we granted to Regeneron for the delivery of protein-based anti-VEGF drugs in our hydrogel depot for the

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treatment of retinal diseases and a license agreement and collaboration with AffaMed for the development and commercialization of DEXTENZA and OTX-TIC in the geographies agreed to between the parties.

Our Strategy

We are pursuing three overall strategic goals: to make prescription eye drops obsolete; to make immediate release back-of-the-eye injections obsolete; and to extend our hydrogel platform technology for use beyond the eye to other areas of the body. The key tactics of our strategy to achieve these goals are:

●Advance our four core clinical development programs through Phase 2. We believe the greatest potential value inflection points for us are the topline data readouts of the Phase 2 clinical trials of our four core clinical development programs: OTX-TKI for the treatment of wet AMD, OTX-TIC for the treatment of glaucoma or ocular hypertension, OTX-CSI for the treatment of dry eye disease, and OTX-DED for the short-term treatment of the signs and symptoms of dry eye disease.

●Expand Commercialization of DEXTENZA for the treatment of ocular inflammation and pain following ophthalmic surgery. We expect to grow our salesforce to increase our active number of accounts and penetrate each account more deeply. We intend to focus sales efforts on ambulatory surgical centers, or ASCs, that generate the largest volumes of cataract surgeries in the United States. We are also seeking to expand the label for DEXTENZA—beginning with our sNDA to add ocular itching associated with allergic conjunctivitis as an approved indication—to permit the product’s use outside of the surgical setting and into ophthalmologists’ offices.

●Apply our local programmed-release hydrogel-based technology to create additional proprietary solutions for ophthalmic diseases and conditions. In collaboration with Regeneron, we are conducting preclinical research

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and development activities regarding an extended-delivery formulation of the VEGF trap aflibercept, currently marketed under the brand name Eylea, to be delivered to the suprachoroidal space. We are assessing preclinical product candidates for the ophthalmic space that leverage not only our proprietary PEG-based bioresorbable hydrogel technology platform but also active pharmaceutical ingredients used in FDA-approved ophthalmic drugs that are or are expected to become available on a generic basis. Finally, we are frequently in discussions with other companies operating in the ophthalmic space regarding potential collaborations to combine our local programmed-release hydrogel technology with their proprietary drug formulations to address additional diseases and conditions of the eye.

●Address rest-of-world commercial opportunities through licensing and collaborations agreements. In the fourth quarter of 2020, we announced a license agreement and collaboration with AffaMed for the development and commercialization of DEXTENZA and OTX-TIC in specified Asian markets. From time to time, we may consider additional arrangements with other companies to address markets outside of the United States.

●Utilize our hydrogel platform to enable local programmed-release of therapeutics to areas of the body outside the eye. We have licensed certain of Incept’s intellectual property rights for the development of product candidates for the treatment of acute post-surgical pain or for the treatment of ear, nose and/or throat diseases or conditions, subject to specified exceptions. We intend to explore programs outside of the eye not only on our own but also potentially through collaborations with third parties who have expertise and experience with other therapeutics as well as other areas of the body.

Eye Disease

Eye disease can be caused by many factors and can affect both the front and back of the eye.

The front of the human eye consists of the cornea on the surface of the eye, the lens and the aqueous humor, which is a transparent fluid that fills the anterior chamber between the lens and the cornea. The tissue surrounding the eye also serves important functions. There is a natural opening, called a punctum, located in the inner portion of each upper and lower eyelid near the nose. The puncta open into nasolacrimal ducts, which collect and drain tears. The conjunctiva is the membrane covering the inside of the eyelids and the white part of the eye, known as the sclera. It helps to protect the eye from microbes and to lubricate the eye. Diseases and conditions affecting the front of the eye have generally been treated with either surgery or with medications delivered to the ocular surface by eye drops.

The back of the eye contains the retina, which is the light sensing layer of tissue; the vitreous humor, which is a transparent gel that fills the vitreous chamber between the lens and the retina; and the optic nerve, which transmits visual information from the retina to the brain. Eye disease can be caused by many factors and can affect both the front and back of the eye. Intravitreal injections or oral pills have typically been used to deliver medications to the back of the eye.

Cross Section of Eye Tear Drainage System

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We currently focus on some of the largest markets in ophthalmology. According to the Market Scope 2019 reports, our product candidates seek to address select indications within segments of ophthalmology that, in the aggregate, account for more than $20 billion global annual sales.

Retinal Diseases

One of the principal retinal diseases is wet AMD, a serious disease of the central portion of the retina, known as the macula, that is responsible for detailed central vision and color perception. Wet AMD is characterized by abnormal new blood vessel formation, referred to as neovascularization, which results in blood vessel leakage and retinal distortion. If untreated, neovascularization in wet AMD patients typically results in formation of a scar under the macular region of the retina. The current standard of care for wet AMD is treatment with drugs that target VEGF, one of several proteins involved in neovascularization.

Wet AMD is the leading cause of blindness in people over the age of 55 in the United States and the European Union. According to the 2019 Market Scope Retinal Disease Report, there are approximately 8.0 million people in the United States who suffer from vision-threatening retinal diseases. This population is expected to grow at a 2.4% compound annual growth rate through 2024.

Because eye drops are unable to carry effective drug concentrations to the back of the eye, intravitreal injections or oral medications are used to deliver medications to this location. However, the frequency of intravitreal injection can be a significant burden on patients, caregivers and clinicians. For example, the current treatment protocol for wet AMD involves monthly or bi-monthly injections. Intravitreal injections can lead to patient discomfort, a transient increase in IOP, and ocular inflammation and infection. Although serious adverse event rates after treatment with anti-VEGF compounds are low, intravitreal injections can result in severe complications and damage to the retina and other structures of the eye, such as ocular hemorrhage and tears in the retinal pigment epithelium.

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Market Data

The global market for retinal disease was approximately $13.0 billion in 2019 and was estimated to grow at approximately 11% per year through 2024 according to Market Scope. The U.S. market accounted for just over 50% of the global market or $6.8 billion in 2019.

The anti-VEGF market for the treatment of wet AMD consists predominantly of three drugs that are approved for marketing and primarily prescribed for the treatment of wet AMD: Eylea, marketed in the United States by Regeneron; Lucentis, marketed in the United States by Genentech; and Beovu, marketed in the United States by Novartis. Avastin, a cancer treatment drug, marketed by Genentech, is also used off-label for the treatment of wet AMD.

Glaucoma

Glaucoma is a progressive and highly individualized disease in which elevated levels of IOP are associated with damage to the optic nerve, which results in irreversible vision loss. According to the World Health Organization, glaucoma is the second leading cause of blindness in the world. Ocular hypertension is characterized by elevated levels of IOP without any optic nerve damage. Patients with ocular hypertension are at high risk of developing glaucoma.

Glaucoma impacts more than 2.7 million people age 40 or older in the United States. The primary goal of glaucoma treatment is to slow the progression of this chronic disease by reducing IOP, and many medications can accomplish this. Importantly, however, adherence to current topical glaucoma therapies is known to be particularly poor with reported rates of non-adherence from 30% to 80%. These low compliance rates may be associated with disease progression and loss of vision and may be part of the reason that glaucoma is a leading cause of blindness in people over 60 years of age.

In a healthy eye, fluid is continuously produced and drained to maintain pressure equilibrium and provide nutrients to the ocular tissue. Excess fluid production or insufficient drainage of fluid in the front of the eye or a combination of these problems causes increased IOP. The increased IOP associated with uncontrolled glaucoma results in degeneration of the optic nerve in the back of the eye and loss of peripheral vision. Once glaucoma develops, it is a chronic condition that requires life-long treatment.

Prostaglandins are the most commonly used class of medications to treat patients with glaucoma and are administered via daily eye drops as the current standard of care. The ability of patients to use and place daily eye drops is challenging. The products that we are developing are designed to address the issue of compliance by delivering a prostaglandin analog, or PGA, formulated with our programmed release hydrogel to lower IOP for several months with a single insert.

Market Data

The global market for glaucoma was estimated by Market Scope at $4.8 billion in 2019 with the U.S. market representing $1.9 billion.

The market for drugs administered by eye drops for the treatment of glaucoma consists of both branded and generic products. Branded products have maintained premium pricing and significant market share. These products include Travatan Z (travoprost) marketed by Alcon and Lumigan (bimatoprost) marketed by Allergan. The relevant patents covering travoprost expired in December 2014. Commonly used generic drugs include latanoprost and timolol.

Ocular Surface Diseases

Dry Eye Disease

Dry eye disease is a chronic, multifactorial disease affecting the tears and ocular surface that can result in dryness, inflammation, irritation, pain, tear film instability, visual disturbance and ocular surface damage. Dry eye disease can have a significant impact on quality of life and can potentially cause long-term damage to the ocular surface. Due to the impact of dry eye disease on tear film dynamics, the condition can affect performance of common vision-related activities such as reading, using a computer and driving, and can lead to complications associated with visual impairment. In addition, the vast majority of dry eye patients experience acute episodic exacerbations of their symptoms, which are commonly referred to as flares, at various times throughout the year. These flares can be triggered by

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numerous factors, including exposure to allergens, pollution, wind and low humidity, intense visual concentration such as watching television and working at a computer, hormonal changes, contact lens wear, smoking and sleep deprivation, which cause ocular surface inflammation and impact tear production and/or tear film stability.

There are approximately 17.2 million patients diagnosed with dry eye disease in the United States, according to the Market Scope 2019 Dry Eye Products Market Report. Approximately 8.6 million of those patients are diagnosed with moderate to severe dry eye while the remaining 8.6 million patients are diagnosed with episodic dry eye disease. The prevalence of dry eye disease increases with age, and we expect that the number of dry eye disease cases will increase as the U.S. population continues to age.

The current standard of care for moderate to severe dry eye disease is the use of artificial tears and topical anti-inflammatory and immune modulating drugs administered by prescription eye drops. The anti-inflammatory and immune modulating prescription drug market consists of Restasis®, for increasing tear production, marketed by Allergan; CequaTM for increasing tear production, marketed by Sun Ophthalmics in the United States; lifitegrast, for the treatment of the signs and symptoms of dry eye disease, marketed by Novartis under the brand name Xiidra®; and off-label use of corticosteroids. As each of Restasis and Xiidra have a relatively long onset of action, they are not generally used for the short-term treatment of episodic dry eye flares. In addition, patients have reported significant issues with stinging and burning when using several of the current treatments.

Market Data

The global market for dry ocular surface disease, which we refer to as dry eye disease, was estimated by Market Scope at $5.1 billion in 2019 with the U.S. market representing $2.1 billion, composed of approximately $1.5 billion in prescriptions and $0.6 billion in over-the-counter medications. Within the prescription category, Restasis recorded sales in 2019 of approximately $1.2 billion in the United States while Xiidra recorded estimated sales of $0.3 billion in the United States.

Allergic Conjunctivitis

Allergic conjunctivitis, another ocular surface disease, is an inflammatory disease of the conjunctiva resulting primarily from a reaction to allergy-causing substances such as pollen or pet dander. The primary sign of this inflammation is redness and the primary symptom is acute itching. Allergic conjunctivitis ranges in clinical severity from relatively mild, common forms to more severe forms that can cause impaired vision. According to a study on the management of seasonal allergic conjunctivitis published in 2012 in the peer-reviewed journal Acta Ophthalmologica, allergic conjunctivitis affects 15% to 40% of the U.S. population. The first line of defense against allergic conjunctivitis is avoidance of the allergen. If this is not successful, physicians typically prescribe a combination of a topical mast cell stabilizer and anti-histamine. These treatments act to reduce the signs and symptoms of the early phase allergic reaction. For the subset of patients with chronic or more severe forms of allergic conjunctivitis, anti-histamines and mast cell stabilizers are often not sufficient to treat their signs and symptoms. These refractory patients are frequently treated with topical corticosteroids administered by prescription eye drops.

It is estimated that up to 10 million people in the United States seek medical attention annually for the inflammatory response associated with allergic conjunctivitis caused by both seasonal and perennial allergens.

Market Data

According to IMS Health data, approximately 6.1 million anti-allergy eye drop prescriptions were filled in the United States in 2020, resulting in sales of approximately $401.2 million. The market to treat allergic conjunctivitis consists of antihistamines, mast-cell stabilizers and steroid eye drops and consists of both branded and generic products. Branded steroids include Lotemax and Alrex (loteprednol etabonate) marketed by Bausch & Lomb, and Durezol (difluprednate) marketed by Alcon. Commonly used generic steroids include prednisolone, dexamethasone and fluorometholone. Pataday and Patanol formerly led the prescription market in this category but have recently been made available as over-the-counter products.

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Post-Surgical Ocular Inflammation and Pain

Ocular inflammation and pain are common side effects following ophthalmic surgery. Frequently performed ophthalmic surgeries include cataract, refractive, vitreoretinal, cornea, and glaucoma procedures. Physicians prescribe anti-inflammatory drugs, such as corticosteroids, which are typically administered through eye drops multiple times per day, following ocular surgery as the standard of care. These drugs improve patient comfort and also accelerate recovery through disruption of the inflammatory cascade resulting in decreased inflammation and reduced activity of the immune system. Physicians also frequently prescribe non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAIDs, as adjunctive or combination therapy to supplement the use of corticosteroids. If left untreated, inflammation of the eye may result in further ocular complications, including pain, scarring and vision loss.

Market Data

Market Scope has estimated that approximately 4.7 million ocular surgeries were to be performed in the United States in 2020, of which approximately 3.2 million are estimated to be cataract surgeries. In 2021, Market Scope estimates 5.1 million cataract surgeries are to be performed. We focus our sales efforts on patients covered by Medicare Part B which accounts for roughly 50% of all cataract surgeries or approximately 2 million surgeries annually. At the current wholesale acquisition price of $538.83 per insert, we estimate that there is a near-term addressable market of approximately $1 billion per year in the surgical space.

According to IMS Health data, approximately 17.7 million prescriptions were filled in the United States in 2020 for anti-inflammatory drugs administered by prescription eye drops for ocular diseases and conditions, resulting in sales of approximately $4.3 billion. These prescriptions consisted of approximately 7.4 million prescriptions and $580.0 million in sales for single-agent corticosteroids, 2.8 million prescriptions and $293.4 million in sales for NSAIDs, 3.7 million prescriptions and $262.7 million in sales for corticosteroid and antibiotic combination products and approximately 3.6 million prescriptions and $2.9 billion in sales of Restasis and Xiidra for dry eye disease.

The Use of Eye Drops and its Limitations

Eye drops are widely used to deliver medications directly to the ocular surface and to intraocular tissue in the front of the eye. Eye drops are administrable by the patient or care provider, inexpensive to produce and treat the local tissue. However, eye drops have significant limitations, especially when used for chronic diseases or when requiring frequent administration, including:

●Lack of patient compliance. Eye drops require frequent administration. For example, steroids for ophthalmic use require administration as frequently as four to six times daily and require tapered dosing over the course of the therapy. As a result, patient compliance with required dosing regimens frequently suffers. According to a published third-party study, more than 50% of glaucoma patients are not compliant with their prostaglandin therapy and do not refill prescriptions as required or do not follow the prescribed regimen within six months of initiating therapy. Poor patient compliance can lead to diminished efficacy and disease progression.

●Difficulty in administration. Eye drops are difficult to administer for many patients, in particularly the elderly, due to physical or mental conditions such as arthritis or dementia. Difficulty in self-administering eye drops may lead to bacterial contamination in the bottle resulting from incorrect usage, limited accuracy administering the drops directly into the eye and the potential washout of drops from the eye. We believe that this also may play a large role in lack of patient compliance and resulting diminished efficacy of treatment.

●Need for high concentrations. After eye drops are administered to the ocular surface, the tear film rapidly renews. Most topically applied solutions are washed away by new tear fluid within 15 to 30 seconds. Because contact time with the ocular surface is short, less than 5% of the applied dose actually penetrates to reach intraocular tissues. As a result, eye drops generally require frequent administration at high drug concentrations to deliver a meaningful amount of drug to the eye. This pulsed therapy results in significant variations in drug concentrations over a treatment period, which we refer to as peak and valley dosing. At peak levels, the high concentrations can result in side effects, such as burning, stinging, redness of the clear membrane covering the white part of the eye, referred to as hyperemia, and spikes in IOP, which may lead to drug induced glaucoma. At low concentration levels, the drug may not be effective, thus allowing the disease to progress.

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●Side effects of preservatives. To guard against contamination, many eye drops are formulated with antimicrobial preservatives, most commonly benzalkonium chloride, or BAK. Patients on long term or chronic therapy, such as glaucoma patients, often suffer reactions, which have been linked to BAK, including burning, stinging, hyperemia, irritation and eye dryness. Less frequently, conjunctivitis or corneal damage may result.

As a result of these limitations, eye drops are often suboptimal as a therapeutic option for the treatment of many diseases and conditions of the front of the eye.

Challenges of Back-of-the-Eye Injections

An intravitreal injection is a procedure to place a medication directly into the space in the back of the eye called the vitreous cavity, which is filled with a jelly-like fluid called the vitreous humor gel. The procedure is usually performed by a trained retina specialist in the office setting. Intravitreal injections are used to administer medications to treat a variety of chronic conditions; wet AMD, DME and RVO are among the most common conditions treated with intravitreal anti-VEGF drugs. Anti-VEGF drugs and steroids help to reduce fluid leakage associated with these disorders.

While anti-VEGF treatment regimens can be very effective therapies, there are a number of significant drawbacks, driven primarily by the frequency of injections that typically range from every six to eight weeks. The actual injection at the time of administration is uncomfortable for patients and can be a deterrent in terms of compliance. Then there is the burden to both patients and their caregivers of regular office visits. These patients may not be mobile enough to travel to the office on their own and therefore require not only the assistance of a caregiver but also transportation to and from the office. And finally, while intravitreal injections are typically safe, there is the potential risk of endophthalmitis (infection in the eye), inflammation, bleeding into the vitreous gel and retinal detachment that comes with injections.

As a result of these limitations, there is a significant unmet need for technologies that will allow for a longer duration of effect and an overall reduced number of injections.

Ocular Wound Closure

According to the World Health Organization, cataracts are the leading cause of visual impairment eventually progressing to blindness. According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology Cataract and Anterior Segment Panel’s 2011 Preferred Practice Pattern Guidelines, cataract extraction is the most commonly performed eye surgery in the United States. Market Scope has estimated that in 2019 there were approximately 4.0 million cataract extractions performed in the United States.

A cataract is a clouding of the lens inside the front of the eye. During cataract surgery, a patient’s cloudy natural lens is removed and replaced with a prosthetic intraocular lens. Clear corneal incision that allows entry to the eye is the typical method for performing cataract surgery. The most common post-surgical approach is to allow the incisions to self-seal, or close, through normal biological processes. However, self-sealing incisions can open spontaneously, especially within 12 to 24 hours following surgery, when IOP fluctuates or as a result of the application of external pressure or manipulation. In addition, incisions that are left to self-seal may leak, which can sometimes result in complications. Complications from fluid leakage include the development of hypotony, or low IOP, which can lead to corneal decompensation and vision loss, as well as the potential for infection. The implanted intraocular lens also may shift in position due to hypotony, leading to reduced visual outcomes following surgery.

Sutures are the most widely used alternative method of wound closure. However, sutures do not completely prevent fluid leakage, are time-consuming to place and have been associated with patient discomfort, corneal distortion, and shallowing of the interior chamber. Sutures may also lead to astigmatism, a distortion of the cornea. An additional visit may be required to remove sutures, thus adding time, inconvenience and expense to the surgical process. These shortcomings limit the use of sutures in ophthalmic surgery. In a 2012 survey of ophthalmologists in the United States conducted by Lachman Consulting LLC, a healthcare consulting firm, respondents indicated that they use sutures in approximately 14% of cataract surgeries.

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The Ocular Therapeutix Approach

Our Hydrogel Technology Platform

We apply our expertise with an established bioresorbable hydrogel technology to the development of products for local programmed-release of known, FDA-approved therapeutic agents for a variety of ophthalmic diseases and conditions and to ophthalmic wound closure.

Our bioresorbable hydrogel technology is based on the use of a proprietary form of PEG. Our technical capabilities include a deep understanding of the polymer chemistry of PEG-based hydrogels and the design of the highly specialized manufacturing processes required to achieve a reliable, preservative-free and pure product. We tailor the hydrogel to act as a vehicle for local programmed-release drug delivery to the eye and as an ocular tissue sealant.

We create our hydrogels by cross-linking PEG molecules to form a network that resembles a three-dimensional mesh on a molecular level. Our PEG molecules are branched, with four to eight branches or arms. Each arm bears a reactive site on its end. Our cross-linking chemistry uses a second molecule with four arms, bearing complimentary reactive sites on each end, such that when combined with the PEG molecules, a network spontaneously forms. When swollen with water, this molecular network forms a hydrogel. We design these hydrogels to slowly degrade in the presence of water, a process called hydrolysis, by inserting a biodegradable linkage between the PEG molecule and the cross-linked molecule. By appropriately selecting the number of arms of the PEG molecule and the biodegradable linkage, we can design hydrogels with varying mechanical properties and bioresorption rates. Because the body has an abundance of water at a constant temperature and pH level, hydrolysis provides a predictable and reproducible degradation rate. Our technology enables us to make hydrogels that can bioresorb over days, weeks or several months. The figure below depicts the formation and bioresorption of the hydrogel for ReSure Sealant.

Intracanalicular Inserts

A punctum is a natural opening located in the inner portion of the eyelid near the nose. There is a punctum in each of the lower eyelids and the upper eyelids. The puncta open into nasolacrimal ducts, which collect and drain tears produced by the eyes’ lacrimal glands. Tears produced in the lacrimal glands sweep across the eye surface and drain through the puncta to the nasal cavity. The section of the nasolacrimal duct immediately beyond the puncta is called the vertical canaliculus. Intracanalicular inserts that do not contain an active drug are commonly used for treatment of dry eye disease by physically blocking tear drainage. Because intracanalicular inserts stay in contact with the tear film, they are well suited for local programmed-release of drug to the eye.

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Intracanalicular insert shown positioned in the vertical canaliculus

Our intracanalicular inserts utilize our proprietary hydrogel technology and are embedded with an active drug. Following insertion through the punctum, our inserts swell in tear fluid to fill the vertical canaliculus, which secures the inserts in place. We design our inserts to release drug in a programmed fashion, tailored to each disease state, back through the punctum to the surface of the eye. Over time the inserts liquefy and are cleared through the nasolacrimal duct. If necessary due to excessive tearing, discomfort or improper placement, a healthcare professional can remove an intracanalicular insert by a process of pushing the soft insert back through the punctum.

Our inserts allow incorporation of a variety of drugs with a controllable range of delivery durations and delivery rates. For acute conditions, such as post-surgical ocular inflammation and pain and ocular itching associated with allergic conjunctivitis, we have designed our intracanalicular inserts to provide a local programmed-release of therapeutic levels of drug for the duration of treatment. For chronic diseases, such as glaucoma, we have designed our intracanalicular inserts for repeat administration with extended dosing periods. We are concentrating our initial development efforts on intracanalicular inserts incorporating active pharmaceutical ingredients that are approved by the FDA for the targeted indication and that satisfy other specific selection criteria that we have developed.

We manufacture our intracanalicular inserts from dried PEG-based hydrogel formed into tiny rods that hold an active pharmaceutical ingredient in a preservative-free formulation. We embed the active pharmaceutical ingredient in the pre-hydrogel liquid formulation, which then solidifies to form a hydrogel containing the drug within. The relative size of one of our intracanalicular inserts is shown in the figure below.

We provide the intracanalicular insert as a thin dry rod to facilitate insertion through the narrow punctal opening. Upon hydration with tear fluid, the insert swells, softens, and conforms to roughly the size and shape of the vertical canaliculus, to secure it in place. We incorporate the active pharmaceutical ingredient in the form of micronized particles embedded directly in the hydrogel or as bioresorbable microspheres.

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We have included a fluorescent label, or marker, in our intracanalicular insert hydrogel to serve as a visualization aid for the healthcare professional to confirm the insert’s presence. The viewer applies a blue handheld light and a clear yellow filter aid to see the insert in the eyelid as shown in the figure below.

Because intracanalicular inserts stay in contact with the tear film, other companies have pursued the development of intracanalicular punctum plugs containing active drugs for local programmed release to the ocular surface. However, these earlier product designs had significant limitations with respect to drug capacity, drug release kinetics and patient comfort and used non-degradable punctum plugs with a clear silicone hard rubber shell containing only a core with active drug. These plugs typically extended outside of the punctal opening and secured themselves in place with an external cap. The external cap was in constant contact with the surface of the eye, which may cause irritation and discomfort in some cases. In addition, some prior designs resorted to plugging both the upper and lower puncta, which could cause excessive tearing and patient discomfort. These designs did not incorporate a visualization agent to allow the patient and physician to assess the presence of the plug.

In contrast to these prior approaches, we have designed our intracanalicular inserts to:

● be soft and to fit beneath the punctal opening for patient comfort; and

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We select the active pharmaceutical ingredients for our local programmed-release drug delivery product candidates, including our intracanalicular inserts, based on criteria we have developed through our extensive experience with hydrogel insert systems. Our active pharmaceutical ingredient selection criteria include:

● high potency to minimize required drug load in the intracanalicular insert;

● availability from a qualified supplier; and

● compatibility with our drug delivery system.

We believe our intracanalicular insert, intracameral implant and intravitreal implantproduct candidates may offer a range of favorable attributes as compared to eye drops and immediate release back-of-the-eye injections, including:

Intracameral Implants

We are engaged in the clinical development of our hydrogel administered via intracameral injection to address retinal diseases.

Intracameral implants refer to biodegradable or bioresorbable implants placed into the anterior chamber or front of the eye for the treatment of ocular conditions. The implants are designed to be held in place by currents and gravity present in the anterior chamber of an eye. As an example, in the case of OTX-TIC, the implant is designed to infuse with

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liquid, settle into the inferior angle of the eye and demonstrate little to no movement. The implants are preferably polymeric, biodegradable and provide sustained release of at least one therapeutic agent to both the trabecular meshwork and associated ocular tissue and the fluids within the anterior chamber of an eye.

Intravitreal Implants

We are engaged in the clinical development of our hydrogel administered via intravitreal injection to address the large and growing markets for diseases and conditions of the back of the eye. Our intravitreal implant product candidates consist of a PEG-based hydrogel suspension, which contains embedded micronized particles of active drug. We designed the intravitreal implant to be injected and retained in the vitreous humor, as depicted in the figure below, to provide local programmed-release intravitreal delivery of anti-VEGF compounds.

Our initial intravitreal implant development efforts are focused on the use of our programmed-release hydrogel in combination with anti-angiogenic compounds such as protein-based anti-VEGF drugs or small molecule drugs, such as TKIs, for the treatment of retinal diseases, including wet AMD, RVO and DME. Our initial goal for these programs is to provide extended delivery of a protein-based large molecule or small molecule TKI targeting VEGF and other indications over a six-month period or longer following administration of a bioresorbable hydrogel incorporating the drug by an injection into the vitreous humor. This approach would reduce the frequency of the current monthly or bi-monthly intravitreal injection regimen for wet AMD and other retinal diseases and potentially provide a more consistent, uniform release of drug over the treatment period.

We believe TKIs are well suited for use with our platform given their high potency, multi-target capability, and compatibility with a hydrogel vehicle. In the absence of a sophisticated drug delivery system, these drugs have been difficult to deliver to the eye for acceptable timeframes at therapeutic levels without causing local and systemic toxicity due to low drug solubility and notably short half-lives in solution. We believe our local drug delivery technology gives us potential advantages in this regard.

We have designed our intravitreal implant for delivery using typically available syringes and fine gauge needles compatible with the current standard of care. Once in the vitreous humor, the hydrogel is designed to retain properties of

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TKI and anti-VEGF compounds until they are released. We have designed the hydrogel to liquefy, dissolve and be cleared from the eye through hydrolysis over time. We design our hydrogels to control the hydrogel biodegradation rate and, as a result, the timing of TKI and anti-VEGF compound release.

By selecting a compound that is compatible with our hydrogel platform technology and that will have expiration of relevant patents within the timeline of our development program, we avoid the need to license the TKI molecule, thus retaining full worldwide rights to any products we develop.

Suprachoroidal Injections

The suprachoroidal space, which we refer to as the SCS, is a potential space between the sclera and choroid that traverses the circumference of the posterior segment of the eye. The SCS is believed to be an attractive site for drug delivery because drugs are able to target the choroid, retinal pigment endothelium and retina with high bioavailability while maintaining low levels of drug elsewhere in the eye.

ReSure Sealant for Ocular Wound Closure

ReSure Sealant is our bioresorbable hydrogel device for wound closure following cataract surgery. A surgeon applies ReSure Sealant as a liquid painted onto the corneal incision. Within about 15 seconds, the sealant cross-links and transforms into a smooth, lubricious hydrogel that seals the wound. ReSure Sealant dissipates as healing progresses and does not require removal. In the pivotal clinical trials that formed the basis for FDA approval, ReSure Sealant provided superior wound closure and a better safety profile than sutured closure.

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Development Pipeline and Marketed Products

The following table summarizes important information about our key product development programs and our marketed products, DEXTENZA and ReSure Sealant. We hold worldwide commercial rights to each of our product candidates, DEXTENZA and ReSure Sealant.

Description

(Active Pharmaceutical Stage of

Product / Program Indication Ingredient) Development Status

Preclinical Stage Product Candidates

Early-Stage Clinical ProductCandidates

Late Stage Clinical ProductCandidates

Approved Product

Retinal Disease Programs

OTX-TKI (axitinib intravitreal implant)

Our current intravitreal implant development efforts are focused on the use of our sustained-release hydrogel in combination with anti-angiogenic compounds, including anti-VEGF compounds, for the treatment of wet AMD. Our

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initial implants have delivered anti-VEGF compounds in vitro over our targeted four to six month period, which we believe could make it possible to reduce the frequency of the current monthly or bi-monthly intravitreal injection regimen for wet AMD. In addition, our preclinical studies demonstrated a sustained pharmacodynamic effect in vivo of over six months with a small molecule TKI.

We believe axitinib is well suited for use with our platform given its high potency, multi-target capability, and compatibility with a hydrogel vehicle. In the absence of a sophisticated drug delivery system, TKIs have been difficult to deliver to the eye for acceptable time frames at therapeutic levels without causing local and systemic toxicity due to low drug solubility and very short half-lives in solution. We believe our local programmed-release drug delivery technology gives us potential advantages in this regard.

In Vitro and preclinical results

We have conducted in vivo pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic studies with hydrogels loaded with axitinib injected intravitreally. Pharmacokinetic data showed retinal tissue drug concentrations in excess of 3,000 times the published concentration needed to inhibit VEGF by 50% after six months and pharmacodynamic results show sustained efficacy for six months.

Phase 1 clinical development

We are conducting an open-label, proof-of-concept Phase 1 clinical trial of OTX-TKI for the treatment of patients with neovascular age related macular degeneration, or wet AMD, caused by excessive blood vessel growth in the back of the eye due to VEGF. OTX-TKI is a bioresorbable hydrogel implant incorporating axitinib that is designed to be delivered via intravitreal injection into the vitreous humor of the eye and has an initial target duration of drug release for approximately six to nine months. Preclinical studies to date have demonstrated suppression of vascular leakage and good pharmacokinetics in the relevant ocular tissues. The Phase 1 clinical trial was submitted to the Therapeutic Goods Administration, Australia’s regulatory authority for therapeutic goods, in July 2018.

In the first quarter of 2019, we began dosing subjects in a Phase 1 clinical trial in Australia. This clinical trial is a prospective, multi-center, open-label, does escalation study designed to evaluate the safety, durability, tolerability, and biological activity of OTX-TKI. We are evaluating biological activity by following visual acuity over time and measuring retinal thickness using standard optical coherence tomography, or OCT. Two cohorts have been enrolled, a lower dose cohort of 200 μg of six subjects and a higher dose cohort of 400 μg of seven subjects. In the first two fully enrolled cohorts, OTX-TKI was generally well tolerated and observed to have a favorable safety profile with no ocular serious adverse events noted. In the higher dose cohort, OTX-TKI showed a decrease in central subfield retinal thickness as measured by mean change in central subfield thickness values by decreases in intraretinal and/or subretinal fluid in some subjects.

We amended our clinical trial protocol to enroll two additional cohorts, cohort 3a consisting of six patients being administered a 600 μg dose and cohort 3b consisting of six patients being administered a 400 μg dose plus an induction injection of the anti-VEGF drug aflibercept. Cohort 3a is fully enrolled and patients are being monitored while cohort 3b is still enrolling.

In February, interim data from this Phase 1 clinical trial of OTX-TKI was presented at the Angiogenesis, Exudation and Degeneration 2021 Virtual conference hosted by the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, University of Miami Health System. We believe that OTX-TKI has demonstrated a preliminary signal of biological activity as observed by a clinically-meaningful decrease in retinal fluid as measured by high resolution OCT that provides cross-sectional images of the anatomical structure of the retina. As observed in cohort 2 (400 μg dose) and cohort 3a (600 μg dose), some subjects showed a decrease in intraretinal or subretinal fluid by two months after injection. In cohort 3b (400 μg dose plus anti-VEGF induction injection of aflibercept), two subjects were observed to have a decrease in intraretinal and/or subretinal fluid as early as a week after injection.

In addition, the OTX-TKI implants in cohort 1 were observed to have biodegraded in all subjects within 9 to 10.5 months of injection. It has also been observed that the implants are able to be adequately monitored and that there is limited to no movement of the implant in the anterior segment of the eye.

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These findings are supported by the graphs below that present the mean change in central subfield thickness, or CSFT, and in best corrected visual acuity, or BCVA, across the four cohorts as well as specific patient images from cohorts 2, 3a and 3b showing declines in intraretinal and/or subretinal fluid over time.

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OTX-TKI has been observed to have a favorable safety profile and be generally well-tolerated to date. There have been no ocular serious adverse events reported. Plasma concentrations of the active drug (axitinib) were measured to be below the limit of quantification of assay, or BLQ < 0.1 ng/ml, at all sampled time points for all patients in cohorts 1 and 2. This assessment indicates that there is no measurable systemic exposure to axitinib.

We believe that the interim data suggests that OTX-TKI is durable and may extend the duration of action beyond several months. As noted in the table below, 50% of cohort 1 (200 μg dose) subjects, or 3 out of 6, and 57% of cohort 2 (400 μg dose) subjects, or 4 out of 7, did not require rescue medication at or before six months post-injection. Further, several subjects in cohort 2 demonstrated durability of therapy for over 6 months and one subject demonstrated

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durability out to 13.5 months without rescue. In cohort 3a, one subject has demonstrated durability of therapy up to six months so far. Follow-up remains ongoing for all cohorts.

Planned Phase 1 Clinical Trial (United States)

We also plan to initiate a randomized, masked Phase 1 clinical trial of up to 20 subjects in the United States under an eIND application in mid-2021 to evaluate 15 subjects dosed with a 600 μg dose of OTX-TKI in comparison to 5 subjects receiving a 2 mg dose of aflibercept every eight weeks for the treatment of wet AMD, DME and RVO. The clinical trial will evaluate biological activity, as measured by CSFT and BCVA, tolerability and durability. We have requested a pre-IND meeting with the FDA to discuss a possible plan to transition from an eIND application to a traditional IND application.

Planned Phase 2 Clinical Trial (Australia)

Pending our receipt and review of the topline data from the Phase 1 clinical trial in Australia and related regulatory discussions, we plan to initiate a Phase 2 clinical trial in Australia to compare the administration of a single dose of 600 μg OTX-TKI in combination with an anti-VEGF induction injection of a 2 mg dose of aflibercept, a current standard of care anti-VEGF therapy, to a 2mg dose of aflibercept alone as the comparator. The Phase 2 clinical trial is anticipated to include approximately 100 subjects with wet AMD but who have responded to current standard of care anti-VEGF treatment and currently show an absence of fluid. The Phase 2 clinical trial will be designed to evaluate efficacy, as measured by CSFT and BCVA, tolerability and durability.

Regulatory Pathway

If we receive positive data from the Phase 1 clinical trial in the United States, we plan to initiate a Phase 2 clinical trial and two Phase 3 clinical trials in the United States for the treatment of wet AMD, DME and RVO. If our development efforts are successful, we expect that we would submit an NDA under Section 505(b)(2) of the FDCA. See “—Government Regulation—Section 505(b)(2) NDAs” for additional information.

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OTX-AFS (aflibercept suprachoroidal implant) in Collaboration with Regeneron

Regeneron Collaboration Agreement

In October 2016, we entered into a strategic collaboration, option and license agreement with Regeneron for the development and potential commercialization of products using our extended-delivery hydrogel formulation in combination with Regeneron’s large molecule VEGF-targeting compounds for the treatment of retinal diseases, with the initial focus on the VEGF trap aflibercept, currently marketed under the brand name Eylea. We and Regeneron amended this agreement in May 2020 to, among other things, transition joint efforts under the collaboration to the research and development of an extended-delivery formulation of aflibercept to be delivered to the suprachoroidal space. We refer to the collaboration, option and license agreement, as amended to date, as the Collaboration Agreement.

Under the terms of the Collaboration Agreement, we granted Regeneron an option, or the Option, to enter into an exclusive, worldwide license under our intellectual property to develop and commercialize products using our hydrogel in combination with Regeneron’s large molecule VEGF-targeting compounds, or Regeneron Licensed Products. The Collaboration Agreement does not cover the development of any products that deliver small molecule drugs, including TKIs, for any target including VEGF, or any products that deliver large molecule drugs other than those that target VEGF proteins. Under the terms of the Collaboration Agreement, we and Regeneron agreed to conduct a joint research program with the aim of developing an extended-delivery formulation of aflibercept that is suitable for advancement into clinical development. Regeneron has agreed to pay our personnel and material costs of ours for specified preclinical development activities in connection with the revised workplan, as well as costs of certain specialty equipment.

Under the terms of the Collaboration Agreement, Regeneron is responsible for funding an initial preclinical tolerability study. If the Option is exercised, Regeneron will be obligated to conduct further preclinical development and an initial clinical trial under a collaboration plan. We are obligated to reimburse Regeneron for certain development costs during the period through the completion of the initial clinical trial, subject to a cap of $25 million, which cap may be increased by up to $5 million under certain circumstances. We do not expect our funding requirements under the collaboration to be material over the next twelve months. If Regeneron elects to proceed with further development beyond the initial clinical trial, it will be solely responsible for conducting and funding further development and commercialization of product candidates. If the Option is exercised, Regeneron is required to use commercially reasonable efforts to research, develop and commercialize at least one Regeneron Licensed Product. Such efforts shall include initiating the dosing phase of a subsequent clinical trial within specified time periods following the completion of the first-in-human clinical trial or the initiation of preclinical toxicology studies, subject to certain extensions.

Under the terms of the Collaboration Agreement, Regeneron has agreed to pay us $10 million upon exercise of the Option. If Regeneron elects to exercise the Option, we are also eligible to receive up to $145 million per Regeneron Licensed Product upon the achievement of specified development and regulatory milestones, including successful results from the first-in-human clinical trial; $100 million per Regeneron Licensed Product upon first commercial sale of such Regeneron Licensed Product; and up to $50 million based on the achievement of specified sales milestones for all Regeneron Licensed Products. In addition, we are entitled to tiered, escalating royalties, in a range from a high-single digit to a low-to-mid teen percentage of net sales of Regeneron Licensed Products.

As amended, the Option is exclusive for twenty-four months following May 8, 2020. The field of the potential license remains limited to Regeneron Licensed Products delivered by local administration to or around the eye for diagnostic, therapeutic, or prophylactic purposes relating to ophthalmic diseases or conditions.

The Collaboration Agreement will automatically terminate upon the failure of Regeneron to conduct or complete certain preclinical activities within specified timeframes or provide required notices regarding such certain preclinical activities to us, in each case subject to specified exceptions, unless Regeneron exercises its Option, the matter has been referred to the joint research committee, or the parties have otherwise agreed in writing. The Agreement will also terminate if Regeneron has not exercised its Option prior to the expiration of the Option Period. If Regeneron has timely exercised its Option, the Collaboration Agreement will expire on a Regeneron Licensed Product-by-Regeneron Licensed Product and country-by-country basis upon the expiration of the later of 10 years from the date of first commercial sale in such country or the expiration of all patent rights covering a Regeneron Licensed Product in such country. We have agreed to grant Regeneron a fully paid-up, non-exclusive license to continue to develop and commercialize the Regeneron Licensed Products following expiration. The Collaboration Agreement is terminable by Regeneron at its convenience, for any or all of the Regeneron Licensed Products, upon prior written notice. Either party may, subject to a

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cure period, terminate the Collaboration Agreement in the event of the other party’s uncured material breach, in addition to other specified termination rights.

Glaucoma Program

OTX-TIC (travoprost intracameral implant)

Our development efforts for our glaucoma program have focused on the use of our extended-delivery hydrogel in combination with travoprost, an FDA-approved prostaglandin analog designed to lower elevated IOP. Our product candidate OTX-TIC is a bioresorbable hydrogel implant incorporating travoprost that is designed to be administered by a physician as an intracameral injection into the anterior chamber of the eye with an initial target duration of drug release of four to six months.

In Vitro and Preclinical results

Preclinical studies to date have demonstrated clinically meaningful IOP lowering and good pharmacokinetics in the aqueous humor.

Phase 1 clinical development

We are conducting a prospective, multi-center open-label, dose-escalation proof-of-concept Phase 1 clinical trial of OTX-TIC in the United States that we initiated in the second quarter of 2018 for the treatment of patients with moderate to severe glaucoma or ocular hypertension. The clinical trial is designed to evaluate the safety, biological activity, durability and tolerability of OTX-TIC compared to topical travoprost (daily eye drops) in patients with open-angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension. The clinical trial consists of four patient cohorts: cohort 1 is 5 subjects who are receiving a 15 μg dose, cohort 2 is 4 subjects who are receiving a 26 μg dose, cohort 3 is 5 subjects who are receiving a 15 μg dose with a fast-degrading implant, and cohort 4 is 5 subjects who are receiving a 5 μg dose with a fast-degrading implant. We presented initial results from the first cohort, comprised of five patients, in this clinical trial at the Association of Research and Vision of Ophthalmology (ARVO) meeting in April 2019 and the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery annual meeting in May 2019. This data demonstrated that, with a single implant, subjects were able to achieve IOP lowering for up to thirteen months at a level at least as good as standard of care topical eye drop that was placed in each subject’s non-study eye. In addition, the hydrogel carrier, as designed, biodegraded in five to seven months. There were no clinically meaningful changes in corneal health as measured by endothelial cell evaluation and corneal pachymetry. Several subjects reported low-grade inflammation and peripheral anterior synechiae that we believe may be addressable with modifications to the implants.

At the Glaucoma360 2021 Virtual Conference, we presented interim results, presented below, from all four patient cohorts in the Phase 1 clinical trial. We believe that OTX-TIC shows potential as a sustained-release therapy with a long duration of action. OTX-TIC has demonstrated a clinically meaningful mean change from baseline as measured by IOP at 8:00 am, 10:00 am and 4:00 pm comparable to topical travoprost therapy as early as two days following injection across all four cohorts. With regard to duration, three out of five subjects (60%) in cohort 1 and four out of four subjects (100%) in cohort 2 exhibited duration of IOP-lowering effect comparable to travoprost therapy at six months. Two out of five subjects (40%) in cohort 3 and one out of 2 subjects (50%) in cohort 4 assessed to date exhibited duration of IOP-lowering effect comparable to travoprost at six months.

The OTX-TIC implant was observed to biodegrade in between five and seven months in cohorts 1 and 2. In cohorts 3 and 4, the fast-degrading implants biodegraded between three and five months. Within all four cohorts, implants were not observed to move when viewed with a slit lamp biomicroscope and were visible at all examinations in all patients using gonioscopy. Corneal health as measured by endothelial cell counts, pachymetry assessments, and slit lamp examinations indicated no clinically meaningful changes from baseline in any of the four cohorts. IOP elevation were observed in three subjects in cohort 3 at the approximate time of the implant resorption.

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Planned Phase 2 Clinical Trial

In mid-2021, we plan to initiate a Phase 2 clinical trial to evaluate formulations of OTX-TIC for the treatment of open-angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension in patients. Certain subjects in the Phase 2 clinical trial will receive the same formulation used in cohort 1 of the Phase 1 clinical trial, containing a 26 μg dose of drug and utilizing a standard implant, and others will receive the same formulation used in cohort 4 of the Phase 1 clinical trial, containing a 5 μg dose of drug and utilizing a fast-degrading implant. The Phase 2 clinical trial will be a randomized, double-masked, active-controlled study with a total of approximately 105 subjects between three arms of approximately 35 subjects each. The control arm will receive an injection of DurystaTM. The non-study eye of each patient will receive topical prostaglandin daily. The trial will evaluate IOP changes from baseline among other endpoints.

Regulatory Pathway

If our planned Phase 2 clinical trial is successful, we would then be required to successfully complete two well-controlled Phase 3 clinical trials conducted under an IND to obtain marketing approval from the FDA. If we were to obtain favorable results from these two pivotal clinical trials, we expect that we would submit an NDA to the FDA for marketing approval of OTX-TIC under Section 505(b)(2) of the FDCA. See “—Government Regulation—Section 505(b)(2) NDAs.”

Ocular Surface Disease Programs

We are engaged in the development of formulations of our hydrogel administered via intracanalicular inserts to address large markets for diseases and conditions of the surface of the eye. Our initial development efforts are focused on the use of our extended-delivery hydrogel in combination with well-known and well-understood corticosteroids and cyclosporine for the treatment of dry eye disease, allergic conjunctivitis and inflammation and pain following ophthalmic surgery.

Dry Eye Disease

OTX-CSI (cyclosporine intracanalicular insert)

OTX-CSI incorporates the FDA-approved immunomodulator cyclosporine as a preservative-free active pharmaceutical ingredient into a hydrogel, drug-eluting, intracanalicular insert. The product candidate is designed for patients suffering from moderate to severe dry eye and to be administered by a physician as a bioresorbable

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intracanalicular insert. OTX-CSI is designed to release cyclosporine to the ocular surface for approximately three to four months to increase tear production for the chronic treatment of dry eye disease.

Phase 1 clinical development

We filed an IND for OTX-CSI in the United States in December 2019 and initiated a Phase 1 clinical trial in the first quarter of 2020. The Phase 1 clinical trial was a U.S.-based, open-label, single-center trial that included five subjects (ten eyes) who were followed for approximately four months. The study was designed to evaluate the safety, tolerability and durability of OTX-CSI and assess the biological activity by measuring signs and symptoms of dry eye disease over this time period.

OCUL US Equity

OCUL · 10-K · period ended 2020-12-31

Item 1. Business

OCUL US Equity☆

OCUL · 10-K · period ended 2020-12-31

Item 1. Business

OCUL US Equity