What Impact Will Gene Therapy Deals Have on Patients? Start-Ups? Jay Duker, MD, Can Speak for Both.

03/21/19 • 22 min

OIS Podcast | Ophthalmology's leading Podcast

We dip into the gene therapy pool one more time, talking with Jay Duker, MD about Luxturna’s impact on ophthalmology. We also discuss how the acquisitions of Spark and Nightstar are benefiting earlier-stage gene therapy start-ups, including his own Hemera Biosciences.

Previous Episode

Wall Street Analyst David Nierengarten of Wedbush Dissects Recent Gene Therapy Shopping Spree

Together, Roche and Biogen paid over $5.5 billion for gene therapy companies Spark and Nightstar. What does this mean for the emerging technology? Spark, of course, received FDA approval for Luxturna as a treatment for inherited retinal disease. But the drug isn’t Roche’s primary focus. Meanwhile, Nightstar’s clinical-stage products could give Biogen a second shot at a gene therapy portfolio after the company severed ties with AGTC in December. Could Biogen make a move to bulk up its ophthalmology offerings?

Next Episode

Novaliq’s Bernhard Günther Reveals Company’s Fateful Start, Promising Future for Dry Eye Treatments

After entering the ophthalmology industry “by accident,” Bernhard Günther founded Novaliq in 2004 to pursue therapeutic applications for CyclASol, a novel solution used in drug delivery. While Novaliq pursued other therapeutic applications initially, fate once again brought Günther back into ophthalmology. Today, the company is positioned to deliver two new treatments for dry eye disease. In this podcast we’ll cover the company’s origins, its unusual investor, and its move to the US.