Can a topical treatment beat blockbuster eye injectables? A Swiss biotech has the cash now to find out

The eye disease therapy market is a lucrative one but a pain for patients who must rely on invasive injections a few times per year. A Swiss biotech is hoping to rewrite the game with a pair of lead topical drugs, and it’s got a fresh round of cash in its war chest to get there.

Oculis has bagged a $57 million Series C it will use to advance its two lead drugs — OCS-201 and OCS-202 — into late-stage trials in its bid to unseat in-the-eye injectables for eye disease, the company said Tuesday.