Altos Biologics Advances Development of Next-Generation Bispecific Antibody for Macular Degeneration Treatment

Alteogen's subsidiary Altos Biologics announced on the 3rd that it is embarking on the development of a next-generation macular degeneration treatment based on a novel mechanism of action using bispecific antibodies.

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Photo by Altos Biologics

Macular degeneration is a disease in which drusen, waste deposits, accumulate in the macula, the central part of the retina, initially causing dry macular degeneration. This can progress to wet age-related macular degeneration (wAMD), where excessive blood vessel growth leads to vascular leakage, potentially resulting in blindness. Wet macular degeneration is also known as age-related macular degeneration (AMD) or "senile macular degeneration," with prevalence sharply increasing with age; by age 70, one in four people is affected. It is also one of the top three causes of blindness among the elderly. Globally, as populations age, the number of patients, which was 200 million in 2020, is expected to continue rising to 300 million by 2040. Accordingly, data analytics firm GlobalData estimates that the market size for macular degeneration treatments will grow to $23 billion (approximately 30 trillion KRW) by 2031.

Currently, the main treatments for wet macular degeneration are antibody drugs that bind to vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-A to inhibit new blood vessel formation, administered via direct eye injections. However, the company explains that about 30% of patients do not experience vision improvement and may even suffer vision loss, with various target-specific side effects emerging as significant issues.

In response, Roche recently launched the bispecific antibody therapy "Vabysmo" (active ingredient faricimab), pioneering a new market. This humanized bispecific antibody drug blocks not only VEGF-A but also the angiopoietin (Ang)-2 signaling pathway to inhibit neovascularization. Unlike existing drugs that require injections every 4 to 8 weeks after initial dosing, Vabysmo can be administered every 16 weeks, significantly reducing patient treatment burden. It rapidly increased market share, reaching sales of 432 million Swiss francs (approximately 640 billion KRW) in the first quarter. Consequently, interest is growing in treatment strategies for senile macular degeneration that add new pathogenic mechanisms alongside anti-VEGF action, but most domestic and international developers remain in early stages such as preclinical or Phase 1 clinical trials, according to Altos Biologics.

Based on its global clinical development experience with the VEGF-A inhibitor "Eylea" biosimilar (biologic drug copy) "ALT-L9" since its establishment, the company identified unmet needs in the wet macular degeneration treatment market within ophthalmic diseases and has newly developed a bispecific antibody that combines VEGF inhibition with pathway regulation contributing to vascular stabilization.

Altos Biologics resolved the physical and productivity issues previously pointed out as drawbacks of existing bispecific antibody substances through proprietary technology applying a novel antibody-like therapeutic modality. They also reported that the binding affinity to dual targets and the inhibition effect on human umbilical vein endothelial cell (HUVEC) growth are 5 to 20 times greater compared to existing treatments.

A company representative stated, "The potent efficacy of the bispecific antibody extends the drug's duration of action, thereby increasing the interval between intravitreal injections while enhancing treatment response rates through vascular structure improvement functions not present in existing drugs, ultimately expecting better vision improvement effects compared to current therapies," adding, "We will accelerate clinical translational research to become a global leader in the development of bispecific antibody therapies for wet macular degeneration."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.