OKYO

LONDON and NEW YORK, Jan. 30, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- OKYO Pharma Limited (Nasdaq: OKYO), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing investigational therapies for the treatment of neuropathic corneal pain (NCP) and for inflammatory eye diseases, today announces that an abstract on its lead candidate, urcosimod (formerly OK-101), has been accepted for presentation at the prestigious 2026 American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ASCRS) Annual Meeting. The accepted paper, titled "Evaluation of Urcosimod in Neuropathic Corneal Pain: Efficacy and Safety Results from a Proof-of-Concept Pilot Phase 2 Study", will be presented in the Ocular Surface Disease II session on Saturday, April 11, 2026, from 3:30 PM to 5:00 PM at the meeting in Washington, DC. This acceptance follows a rigorous and highly competitive review process by the ASCRS Annual Meeting Program Committee, where only a limited number of submissions are selected each year. The abstract highlights efficacy and safety data from OKYO's recently completed proof-of-concept Phase 2 study of urcosimod in patients with neuropathic corneal pain. Robert Dempsey, Chief Executive Officer of OKYO Pharma, commented: "We are delighted to have our proof-of-concept Phase 2 data on urcosimod accepted for presentation at the prestigious 2026 ASCRS Annual Meeting. This recognition underscores the potential of urcosimod as a novel, first-in-class therapeutic for neuropathic corneal pain, a debilitating condition affecting patients with significant unmet need. Building on positive efficacy signals, including meaningful pain reduction and encouraging corneal nerve health trends from our study, this platform provides an important opportunity to share these results with leading ophthalmologists and advance our ongoing development efforts toward a planned larger Phase 2b/3 trial in the first half of 2026." The ASCRS Annual Meeting is a premier gathering for anterior segment surgeons and ophthalmologists focused on cataract, refractive, cornea, and glaucoma innovations. As previously communicated, urcosimod was granted the first IND to treat patients with NCP and was awarded fast track designation by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The company expects to initiate a 150-patient Phase 2b/3 multiple-dose study of urcosimod to treat NCP in the first half of this year. About Neuropathic Corneal Pain (NC...

After 12 weeks of treatment, 75% of per-protocol patients receiving 0.05% urcosimod showed greater than 80% reduction in neuropathic corneal pain (NCP), as measured by Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), demonstrating highly effective treatment. Urcosimod (0.05%) demonstrated a marked reduction in pain scores as early as Week 4, with sustained efficacy maintained throughout the trial. A statistically significant reduction in mean pain scores was observed from Visit 1 to the end of treatment Visit 4 (p-value = 0.025) in the per-protocol 0.05% urcosimod group, indicating the drug’s effectiveness over the study period. Notably, all these responders entered the study with moderate to severe NCP pain scores despite prior use of maximum medical therapy. No serious adverse events were reported among the 18 patients throughout the trial. Following completion of full data analysis, OKYO plans a meeting with FDA to discuss next steps for urcosimod which has already received Fast Track designation for treating NCP. LONDON and NEW YORK, July 16, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- OKYO Pharma Limited (NASDAQ: OKYO), an ophthalmology-focused bio-pharmaceutical company which is developing urcosimod to treat neuropathic corneal pain (NCP), an ocular condition associated with chronic and often severe nerve-related pain but without an FDA-approved therapy, is pleased to announce positive top-line data from the recently closed 18-patient Phase 2 trial of urcosimod (formerly called OK-101) to treat NCP. OKYO is the first company to conduct a clinical study to treat NCP disease, a major unmet medical need. This randomized, double-masked, placebo-controlled, Phase 2 Proof-of-Concept trial of urcosimod to treat NCP was conducted at a single trial site at Tufts Medical Center in Boston, MA, with Pedram Hamrah, M.D., a leading expert in NCP, as Principal Investigator. Top Line Data Note: Primary Endpoint of Phase 2 trial was change in mean pain scores from baseline (Visit 1, Day 0) to end of treatment (Visit 4, Day 84), as measured by a VAS scale of 0-10. For the per-protocol population, change in mean pain score was 5.5 in the 0.05% urcosimod group and 2.75 in the placebo group, reflecting a 2.75 delta difference between drug and placebo following the 12-week treatment period. Notably, 75% of patients treated with 0.05% urcosimod in this group achieved greater than 80% improvement in pain severity...