EyePoint Pharmaceuticals initiated legal action on Friday in Middlesex County Superior Court in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, accusing competitor Ocular Therapeutix of making false or misleading public statements about EyePoint and its lead experimental ocular therapy, Duravyu.
The complaint characterizes the statements by Ocular Therapeutix as misrepresentations of both EyePoint as a company and of the clinical results associated with Duravyu. According to the filing, those statements amount to defamation, commercial disparagement and violations of Massachusetts consumer protection statutes. The suit also alleges that Ocular Therapeutix interfered with EyePoint’s business relationships.
In its filing, EyePoint requests several forms of relief from the court. The company asked the court to order Ocular Therapeutix to cease making the contested statements, to publish a public retraction, and to pay monetary damages as well as legal fees incurred in pursuing the claim.
An Ocular Therapeutix spokesperson provided a brief response, saying, "We’re confident in our statements and look forward to responding in the course of the legal process." No further remarks from either company were included in the court filing cited in the complaint.
The legal dispute unfolds against the backdrop of a competitive race to produce longer-lasting treatments for serious retinal diseases. Both companies are developing therapies aimed at conditions such as wet age-related macular degeneration, commonly referred to as wet AMD, a leading cause of vision loss in older adults.
Duravyu, EyePoint’s experimental therapy, is currently being evaluated in late-stage clinical trials for wet AMD and for diabetic macular edema. The company has indicated that data for the wet AMD studies are expected beginning in mid-2026.
Meanwhile, Ocular Therapeutix’s leading candidate, Axpaxli, recently met the primary endpoint in a key late-stage trial. That trial showed Axpaxli helped patients with wet AMD maintain their vision compared with the approved Eylea therapy produced by Regeneron, according to results reported last month.
The complaint and Ocular Therapeutix’s recent clinical news illustrate how closely commercial and clinical developments can intersect in the biotech sector, and how companies may resort to legal remedies when they believe public statements by competitors harm their business or prospects.