Ocugen Licenses AAV Gene Therapy for Blindness to South Korean Pharma

MALVERN, Pa. — Ocugen, Inc. announced today it has executed a licensing agreement with Kwangdong Pharmaceutical, Co., Ltd., granting the Korean company exclusive rights to OCU400, a gene therapy for treating retinitis pigmentosa (RP), in the South Korean market.

The agreement aims to bring the novel AAV gene therapy to an estimated 7,000 individuals in the Republic of Korea who are living with RP, a group of genetic disorders that cause progressive vision loss. The deal includes upfront license fees and near-term development milestones for Ocugen of up to $7.5 million. The company is also set to receive sales milestones and a 25% royalty on net sales generated by Kwangdong.

“We are excited to partner with Kwangdong as our first regional partner in the development and commercialization of our modifier gene therapies across the globe,” said Dr. Shankar Musunuri, Chairman, CEO, and Co-founder of Ocugen. “OCU400 is a potential one-time therapy for RP, and upon local regulatory approval, patients in Korea with this devastating condition will be able to access OCU400 through Kwangdong.”

Kwangdong, one of Korea’s leading pharmaceutical companies, is set to strengthen its ophthalmology portfolio with this deal. The company’s CEO and Chairman, SungWon Choi, stated, “From the company’s perspective, this deal with Ocugen is especially meaningful as it allows us to further strengthen our ophthalmology portfolio, alongside our existing pipeline for presbyopia and pediatric myopia.”

Ocugen is currently advancing OCU400 through Phase 3 clinical development in the U.S. with a Biologics License Application (BLA) filing targeted for 2026. Kwangdong plans to use Ocugen’s clinical data and BLA filing as part of its own regulatory submission for approval in Korea.