Oculis Holding AG has entered into an asset purchase agreement with Accure Therapeutics that would give Oculis worldwide development and commercial rights to privosegtor (OCS-05), an investigational neuroprotective candidate being developed for optic neuropathies and other neuro-axonal diseases.

Oculis has held exclusive worldwide rights to privosegtor since licensing the molecule, then known as ACT-01, from Accure in 2022. The new transaction would replace that licensing arrangement with direct ownership of Accure’s development and commercial rights, eliminating associated milestone and royalty obligations to Accure. Oculis will pay $3.8 million in cash at the first closing and issue up to 2.05 million ordinary shares, including shares subject to lockup provisions and others tied to development and regulatory milestones, the company said in a press release.

The agreement also covers ACT-02, an early-stage preclinical neurology candidate, in a separate closing contingent on completion of the ACT-01 transaction. The privosegtor transaction is expected to close by February 28, 2027.

Privosegtor is a peptoid small molecule designed to cross the blood-brain and retinal barriers. Following the phase 2 ACUITY trial, Oculis initiated the PIONEER program, comprising 3 pivotal trials intended to support registration in optic neuropathies.

PIONEER-1 is evaluating privosegtor in patients following acute onset of optic neuritis, including those with and without multiple sclerosis (MS). Oculis said it is also preparing an investigational new drug application for privosegtor in acute MS relapses, with submission planned for the fourth quarter of 2026. RP