Santen Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. and Aerie Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced that Santen and Aerie have entered into an exclusive development and commercialization agreement for Rhopressa and Rocklatan in Japan, along with rights for several other Asian countries.

Aerie is an ophthalmic pharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of first-in-class therapies for the treatment of patients with open-angle glaucoma, ocular surface diseases and retinal diseases. Rhopressa (netarsudil ophthalmic solution) 0.02% and Rocklatan (netarsudil and latanoprost ophthalmic solution) 0.02%/0.005% are approved and being sold in the United States by Aerie. Preparations for the first Phase 3 study in Japan for Rhopressa are ongoing and the study is expected to commence before the end of 2020.

“In the treatment of glaucoma, where the number of glaucoma patients continues to increase and unmet medical needs remain, we are excited to see an increase in our product lineup and the opportunity to offer patients new treatment options,” said Shigeo Taniuchi, President and CEO of Santen. “Santen and Aerie both aim to further contribute to the treatment of glaucoma patients through these products, by taking advantage of Santen’s sales platform and relationships with local ophthalmologists in Japan and other Asian countries.”

“We are delighted to partner with Santen, which is a leading global ophthalmology company and the largest in Japan. We believe that Santen has unparalleled capabilities to develop and commercialize our glaucoma products and to enhance the treatment options for patients with glaucoma or ocular hypertension, an about $1 billion market in Japan and East Asia. We look forward to a successful collaboration with Santen,” said Vicente Anido, Jr., Ph.D., Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.

Glaucoma is a disorder which causes optic nerve damage leading to visual field loss and is a major cause of visual impairment including decreased vision and blindness in many countries, especially in Japan and several other Asian countries. Since glaucomatous optic nerve damage and visual field defects are generally progressive and irreversible, early detection and treatment for controlling progression of damage is crucial in the treatment of glaucoma.