Led · Equity · Oct 2020

Azura Ophthalmics is a clinical-stage company focused on developing medicines to treat Meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD) and related eye diseases. Its lead candidate, AZR-MD-001, is a topical ointment reformulated with prescription-strength selenium disulfide (SeS2) designed for ophthalmic use and applied to the lower lid. AZR-MD-001 has shown a positive safety and efficacy profile in several studies and, based on Phase 2 data and interactions with the FDA, the company plans to proceed to registration studies in 2021. Azura’s approach targets abnormal hyperkeratinization—the build-up and shedding of proteins at the Meibomian gland—that the company says is the root cause of obstructive MGD, leveraging dermatological knowledge from sebaceous gland treatments. The company has a pipeline of new chemical entities from preclinical through Phase 2 for a range of ocular and lid-margin diseases, and aims to deliver the first-in-class ophthalmic keratolytics. Azura is headquartered in Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel, with operations in Australia and the U.S., and raised funding to support upcoming registration studies. Azura Ophthalmics, headquartered in Tel Aviv‑Yafo, Israel, is developing an innovative portfolio of compounds combined with a novel drug delivery platform to treat meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD). Its lead program targets the root cause of MGD, which the company says is the leading cause of dry eye disease. Azura has completed an initial clinical proof-of-concept study that showed efficacy and is preparing for a phase 2a trial. The company has an experienced management team with prior exits and deep ophthalmology and dry-eye drug development experience. Recent executive additions, including a new Chief Medical Officer, are intended to bolster clinical development and regulatory efforts. The new financing will fund expanded clinical studies and talent acquisition to advance the program toward regulatory clearance.

Led · Equity · Dec 2019

Notal Vision operates the Notal Vision Diagnostic Clinic and provides remote patient monitoring services that extend retinal disease management from clinic to home. Its ForeseeHome AMD Monitoring Program is an FDA-cleared service with Medicare coverage that monitors intermediate dry AMD patients and has demonstrated clinical utility in the HOME Study. The company is developing a Home OCT system that enables technician-free, self-guided OCT testing at home and pairs scans with the proprietary Notal OCT Analyzer (NOA) machine-learning algorithm for automated analysis. Notal Vision plans to commercialize the Home OCT monitoring program to support detection and management of wet AMD and other exudative retinal diseases. The company provides physicians an online portal with B-scan images and annotated fluid locations and aims to build referral partnerships with ophthalmologists and optometrists to expand its service footprint. The announced financing is intended to support commercial growth of ForeseeHome and the go-to-market strategy for the Home OCT pipeline. Notal Vision operates the ForeseeHome AMD Monitoring Program, an FDA-cleared diagnostic that monitors visual changes in patients at risk of vision loss from undiagnosed wet AMD. The company runs the Notal Vision Diagnostic Clinic and offers a platform for engaging patients with high-volume, AI-enabled analyses of personalized health data to improve vision outcomes and reduce treatment burden. Notal is developing a Home OCT platform that received FDA Breakthrough Device designation at the end of 2018 and is intended to enable technician-free, self-guided OCT testing at home for exudative AMD patients. Its in-house Notal OCT Analyzer (NOA), a proprietary machine-learning algorithm, performs automated analysis of Home OCT scans and notifies physicians when physician-specified changes in disease activity are detected. The company raised $25M in funding and plans to use the proceeds to drive commercial growth of the ForeseeHome program and to advance R&D for pipeline technologies, including the Home OCT. Led by CEO Kester Nahen, PhD., Notal Vision is based in Manassas, Virginia.