Bausch + Lomb Corporation (NYSE:BLCO) on Thursday said it will discontinue development of BL1107 as a topical treatment for glaucoma after the candidate failed to meet the primary endpoint in a Phase 2 clinical trial.
Trial Misses Primary And Key Secondary Endpoints
The randomized, double-masked, three-arm, parallel-group Phase 2 study enrolled 159 adults with primary open-angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension.
According to the company, BL1107 did not achieve its primary endpoint of improving visual field mean deviation after 28 days of topical treatment.
Key secondary measures of visual function, including low-luminance best-corrected visual acuity responder rates, were also not met.
However, the study showed evidence of ocular target engagement through a reduction in intraocular pressure at Day 28, satisfying one secondary endpoint.
Bausch + Lomb added that BL1107’s safety profile remained consistent with previous clinical experience, with no new safety signals identified.
Phase 2 Results Prompt Strategic Shift
The company said it will instead focus on advancing BL1107 as a sustained-release implant for geographic atrophy (GA), reinforcing its strategy of maintaining a diversified product pipeline.
Yehia Hashad, executive vice president of research and development and chief medical officer at Bausch + Lomb, said drug development success depends on a portfolio of programs rather than a single asset.
He added that evaluating multiple scientific approaches enables the company to make better investment decisions, even when individual programs do not succeed.
Company Refocuses On Geographic Atrophy Program
Bausch + Lomb said it acquired Whitecap Biosciences in 2025 primarily to develop a sustained-release implant for GA.
The company also pursued glaucoma after BL1107, then known as WB007, produced encouraging visual acuity findings in a small Phase 1/2a study.
Following the latest results, the company said it will now dedicate development efforts to the GA program. Clinical trials for the sustained-release implant are expected to begin in 2028.
The company also said it will continue collaborating with Ripple Therapeutics, whose controlled-release technology chemically engineers drugs into sustained-release pharmaceuticals without using polymers.
BLCO Price Action: Bausch & Lomb shares were down 1.42% at $16.49 at the time of publication on Friday, according to Benzinga Pro data.
Image via Shutterstock/ Rulo Jmp
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