Less than 2 years after first launching as a global biotechnology company, Tenpoint Therapeutics Limited has appointed its first chief commercial officer (CCO): Carol Kearney.
First, a rundown on Tenpoint and its recent activity.
Established in July 2023—with U.S. locations in Seattle, Washington, and Irvine, California—the company is advancing engineered cell-based therapies for vision restoration in patients diagnosed with degenerative ocular disease.
- Take a look at its pipeline, which targets presbyopia, cataracts, and geographic atrophy (GA)
Its origins: Are based on research conducted by scientific experts from Moorsfields Eye Hospital, University College London (UCL) Institute of Ophthalmology, Institut de la Vision in Paris, and the University of Washington.
- See here for a look at its executive leadership, including CEO Henric Bjarke (appointed in December 2024 following the company’s merger with Visus Therapeutics, Inc.).
Tell me about this merger.
At the end of last year, Tenpoint and Visus united under the Tenpoint name to form a new company focused on ophthalmic therapeutics for “rejuvenating the aging eye.”
A key asset in this: BRIMOCHOL PF (Visus’s lead asset for presbyopia-related vision loss. But more on that later).
Next: Talk about this new CCO.
Kearney brings 20+ years of experience serving as a commercialization executive in both the private and publicly-traded biopharmaceutical industry.
Prior to joining Tenpoint, she served as:
- Senior vice president, Strategy Consulting (Lumanity, Inc)
- Managing director (Clarion Healthcare, Inc.)
- Global marketing director (Pfizer)
- Oversaw management of glaucoma-indicated Xalatan
- Senior product manager, Ophthalmology (Pharmacia, prior to merger with Pfizer)
And what will her role at Tenpoint entail?
The company reported that Kearney will lead its “global expansion from a clinical-stage entity to a market-leading commercialization organization."
- Her immediate focus: Spearheading Tenpoint’s commercial strategy—”with an immediate focus on the potential U.S. launch of the company’s lead pipeline candidate—BRIMOCHOL PF.”
Bjarke added that, with Kearney’s extensive experience in ophthalmology and her commercial leadership, “I am confident in Carol’s ability to quickly scale up our commercial efforts and prepare for a successful launch of BRIMOCHOL PF.”
Alrighty, let’s get the details on this asset.
BRIMOCHOL PF is a topical, preservative-free (PF), fixed-dose, and once-daily-administered ophthalmic solution.
Key to its formulation are two FDA-approved pharmaceuticals, which combine to form the pupil-modulating eye drop:
- Carbachol
- What it is: A direct-acting miotic (cholinergic) agent known for its potency and increased duration of activity
- What it does: As a miotic, it reduces pupil size to create a “pinhole” effect, resulting in improved visual acuity (VA)
- Brimonidine tartrate
- What it is: A sympatholytic alpha-2 agonist
- What it does: Prevents pupil dilation by stopping iris dilator muscle contract (via activation of alpha-2 receptor)
- May potentially mitigate miotic side effects
- Prolongs that “pinhole” effect and enables a longer duration of action
And together, these target presbyopia?
Individually, both pharmaceuticals are topically applied to treat glaucoma and lower intraocular pressure (IOP).
Together: They work to create and sustain the “pinhole” effect by reducing the pupil size to allow only centrally-focused light rays to enter the eye—all via a once-daily eye drop.
- The intended effect: Improved, sustainable vision and clarity in presbyopia patients for near (reading or digital device usage) and intermediate tasks (such as looking at a computer screen)
- The duration: Around 8 to 10 hours (ideally)
Can I get a visual of this?
And its clinical performance so far?
Very promising, as evidenced by the company’s January 2025 report of positive topline data from the pivotal phase 3 BRIO-11 trial (NCT05135286) evaluating the asset’s safety and efficacy among 600+ patients with emmetropic phakic or pseudophakic presbyopia.
The primary outcome measure for this: Change from baseline in near VA, as measured by the percentage of patients with a 3-line improvement in near VA without the loss of at least 1 line in distance VA.
Talk specifics on this topline data.
Over a 12-month period, BRIMOCHOL PF demonstrated:
- Statistically significant improvements in near vision versus vehicle at all timepoints out to 8 hours (p<0.008)
- Clinically and statistically significant reductions in pupil size at all time points
- Well tolerance with no treatment-related serious adverse events
Notably, Tenpoint emphasized that pupil size reduction was achieved while also improving distance vision and providing a “gradual resolution of miosis over 10 hours.”
- Check out how this stacks up against the company’s first phase 3 trial (BIO-I).
So what’s next for the eye drop?
With Kearney’s recent appointment officially in effect, the company anticipates a regulatory approval filing in the United States before the end of H1 2025—with the tentative goal of a U.S. commercial launch in 2026.
And the big picture?
If approved, BRIMOCHOL PF would join a U.S. market that has already seen the approval of the first (AbbVie’s Vuity, twice over) and second (Orasis Pharmaceuticals’ QLOSI [pilocarpine hydrochloride ophthalmic solution 0.4%]) presbyopia eye drops.
With QLOSI anticipated to make its commercial launch debut in the coming months, Tenpoint’s novel combination eye drop has the chance to become the third approved treatment for this patient base.
- And let’s not forget the plethora of presbyopia-indicated eye drop candidates still undergoing clinical trials.