Ocugen announces a licensing agreement for OCU400 in Korea, with potential milestone payments and royalties.
Quiver AI Summary
Ocugen, Inc. has signed a binding term sheet to negotiate a licensing agreement for OCU400, its gene therapy for retinitis pigmentosa (RP), with a major pharmaceutical company in Korea, granting exclusive rights in the region. Under the agreement, Ocugen expects to receive upfront fees and milestone payments up to $11 million, along with sales milestones and a 25% royalty on net sales. The partnership aims to leverage local expertise to treat the estimated 15,000 individuals in Korea affected by RP while Ocugen retains rights to larger markets for broader patient reach. A definitive agreement is anticipated within 60 days, with OCU400 currently in Phase 3 clinical development and a planned Biologics License Application submission in mid-2026.
Potential Positives
- Ocugen signed a binding term sheet for a licensing agreement that could bring up to $11 million in upfront fees and development milestone payments.
- The agreement includes significant sales milestones, with potential earnings of $1 million for every $15 million in net sales in Korea, plus ongoing royalties of 25% on net sales generated by the partner.
- Ocugen will manufacture and supply OCU400, allowing the company to maintain oversight and control over the production of its product.
- This regional licensing strategy helps Ocugen preserve rights to larger markets, potentially maximizing patient reach and shareholder return.
Potential Negatives
- The reliance on upfront fees and milestone payments totaling only $11 million may indicate limited confidence in the longer-term value or success of OCU400 in the market.
- Potential delays or non-execution of the definitive agreement could hinder the commercialization of OCU400, raising concerns about the company's ability to secure necessary partnerships.
- The vague nature of forward-looking statements implies significant uncertainty surrounding anticipated benefits, regulatory approvals, and clinical trial outcomes, which may affect investor confidence.
FAQ
What is the licensing agreement about?
Ocugen signed a term sheet to negotiate a licensing agreement for exclusive rights to OCU400 in Korea.
What financial benefits will Ocugen receive?
Ocugen will receive up to $11 million in upfront fees and development milestones, plus a 25% royalty on net sales.
What is OCU400?
OCU400 is a novel modifier gene therapy developed by Ocugen for treating retinitis pigmentosa (RP).
How many patients could benefit from OCU400 in Korea?
There are approximately 15,000 individuals in Korea affected by retinitis pigmentosa.
When is the target filing for OCU400's Biologics License Application?
Ocugen aims to file the Biologics License Application for OCU400 by mid-2026.
Disclaimer: This is an AI-generated summary of a press release distributed by GlobeNewswire. The model used to summarize this release may make mistakes. See the full release here.
$OCGN Hedge Fund Activity
We have seen 53 institutional investors add shares of $OCGN stock to their portfolio, and 73 decrease their positions in their most recent quarter.
Here are some of the largest recent moves:
- UBS GROUP AG added 3,393,137 shares (+348.1%) to their portfolio in Q1 2025, for an estimated $2,396,572
- RENAISSANCE TECHNOLOGIES LLC added 1,371,651 shares (+65.7%) to their portfolio in Q1 2025, for an estimated $968,797
- RINKEY INVESTMENTS added 1,164,506 shares (+inf%) to their portfolio in Q1 2025, for an estimated $822,490
- RAFFERTY ASSET MANAGEMENT, LLC removed 797,331 shares (-100.0%) from their portfolio in Q4 2024, for an estimated $641,851
- WELLINGTON MANAGEMENT GROUP LLP removed 507,495 shares (-100.0%) from their portfolio in Q1 2025, for an estimated $358,443
- GSA CAPITAL PARTNERS LLP added 492,300 shares (+43.0%) to their portfolio in Q1 2025, for an estimated $347,711
- JANE STREET GROUP, LLC removed 430,789 shares (-86.8%) from their portfolio in Q1 2025, for an estimated $304,266
To track hedge funds' stock portfolios, check out Quiver Quantitative's institutional holdings dashboard.
Full Release
- Upfront fees and near-term development milestone payments totaling up to $11 million
- Sales milestones of $150 million or more in first 10 years of commercialization
- Royalties equaling 25% of net sales
- Ocugen to manufacture and supply OCU400
MALVERN, Pa., June 05, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ocugen, Inc. (“Ocugen” or the “Company”) (NASDAQ: OCGN), a pioneering biotechnology leader in gene therapies for blindness diseases, today announced the signing of a binding term sheet to negotiate and enter into a licensing agreement with a well-established leader in the pharmaceutical and healthcare sector in Korea, for exclusive Korean rights to OCU400—Ocugen’s novel modifier gene therapy for retinitis pigmentosa (RP).
Pursuant to the term sheet, under the license agreement Ocugen will receive upfront license fees and near-term development milestones equaling up to $11 million. The Company will be entitled to sales milestones of $1 million for every $15 million of net sales in Korea in addition to a royalty of 25% on net sales of OCU400 generated by Ocugen’s partner. Additionally, Ocugen will manufacture commercial supply of OCU400 under terms of a supply agreement.
There are an estimated 15,000 individuals in the Republic of Korea with RP. OCU400 provides the opportunity for our partner to help thousands of patients and become a leader in gene therapy in Korea.
“This regional licensing agreement is aligned with our business development strategy to partner with well-established companies in their respective countries and regions—leveraging their networks and know-how to treat as many RP patients as possible,” said Dr. Shankar Musunuri, Chairman, CEO, and Co-founder of Ocugen. “A regional approach preserves Ocugen’s rights to larger geographies to maximize total patient reach while also generating return for our shareholders.”
Additional details will be available once the definitive agreement between the parties is executed, which is expected to occur within the next 60 days.
Ocugen is currently advancing OCU400 through Phase 3 clinical development with a target Biologics License Application filing of mid-2026.
About Ocugen, Inc.
Ocugen, Inc. is a biotechnology company focused on discovering, developing, and commercializing novel gene therapies to address major blindness diseases and offer hope for patients across the globe. We are making an impact on patient’s lives through courageous innovation—forging new scientific paths that harness our unique intellectual and human capital. Our breakthrough modifier gene therapy platform has the potential to address significant unmet medical need for large patient populations through our gene-agnostic approach. Discover more at
www.ocugen.com
and follow us on
X
and
LinkedIn
.
Cautionary Note on Forward-Looking Statements
This
press
release
contains
forward-looking
statements
within
the
meaning
of
The
Private
Securities
Litigation
Reform
Act
of
1995,
including,
but
not limited to, statements regarding the terms of the definitive license and timing of a definitive agreement or if a definitive agreement will be executed at all or the anticipated benefits to Ocugen of the definitive license agreement, qualitative assessments of available data, potential benefits, expectations for ongoing clinical trials, anticipated regulatory filings and anticipated development timelines,
which
are
subject
to
risks
and
uncertainties.
We
may,
in
some
cases,
use
terms
such
as
“predicts,” “believes,” “potential,” “proposed,” “continue,” “estimates,” “anticipates,” “expects,” “plans,” “intends,” “may,” “could,” “might,” “will,” “should,”
or other words that convey uncertainty of future events or outcomes to identify these forward-looking statements. Such statements are subject to numerous important factors, risks, and uncertainties that may cause actual events or results to differ materially from our current expectations, including,
but
not
limited
to,
the risks that a definitive agreement for the license will be delayed or not executed at all, or that, if executed, it will not be on terms described above, the risk that contemplated license agreement, if executed, will not lead to the current anticipated benefits to Ocugen,
the
risks
that
preliminary,
interim
and
top-line
clinical
trial
results
may
not
be
indicative
of,
and
may
differ
from,
final
clinical data;
the ability of OCU400 to perform in humans in a manner consistent with nonclinical or preclinical study data;
that
unfavorable
new
clinical
trial
data
may
emerge
in
ongoing
clinical
trials
or
through
further
analyses
of
existing
clinical
trial
data;
that
earlier non-clinical
and
clinical
data
and
testing
of
may
not
be
predictive
of
the
results
or
success
of
later
clinical
trials;
and
that
that
clinical
trial
data
are subject to differing interpretations and assessments, including by regulatory authorities.
These
and
other
risks
and
uncertainties
are
more
fully described
in
our
periodic
filings
with
the
Securities
and
Exchange
Commission
(SEC),
including
the
risk
factors
described
in
the
section
entitled
“Risk Factors”
in
the
quarterly
and
annual
reports
that
we
file
with
the
SEC.
Any
forward-looking
statements
that
we
make
in
this
press
release
speak
only
as of
the
date
of
this
press
release.
Except
as
required
by
law,
we
assume
no
obligation
to
update
forward-looking
statements
contained
in
this
press release whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise, after the date of this press release.
Contact:
Tiffany Hamilton
AVP, Head of Communications
[email protected]