- Establishes strategic commercial reach across the Middle East and North Africa, advancing Ocugen’s goal of enabling global patient access to potentially transformational gene therapies
- Expands access to a potential one-time gene therapy for retinitis pigmentosa in a region with high disease prevalence and substantial unmet need
- Agreement includes upfront license fee and initial development payments up to $4 million, potential sales milestones up to $255 million, and royalties equaling 22% of net sales; Ocugen will manufacture and supply OCU400
MALVERN, Pa., Oct. 14, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ocugen, Inc. ("Ocugen" or the "Company") (NASDAQ:OCGN), a pioneering biotechnology leader in gene therapies for blindness diseases, today announced the execution of a licensing agreement with Roots Pharmaceutical, and its strategic partner Al-Dhow International Holding, for the exclusive rights to OCU400, Ocugen's novel modifier gene therapy for the treatment of Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP), in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.
Subject to the terms of the License Agreement, Ocugen will receive an upfront license fee and potential initial development milestone payments of up to $4 million, in the aggregate, as well as potential sales milestone payments of up to $255 million, and royalties equaling 22% of OCU400 net sales generated by Roots Pharmaceutical. Ocugen will manufacture the commercial supply of OCU400 under terms of a related supply agreement.
Ocugen believes RP is a leading cause of inherited vision loss globally, with a particularly significant unmet need across the MENA region, where the prevalence of RP is estimated to be 10 to 20 times higher than in the U.S. and EU. Through OCU400, Roots Pharmaceutical aims to help address this substantial unmet need by potentially providing a treatment option for people in the MENA region living with RP and facing progressive vision loss and potential blindness.