Chong Kun Dang signs exclusive license deal for Kiyora's retinal disease drug candidate KIO-301

Chong Kun Dang said Friday it has signed an exclusive license agreement with Kiyora Pharmaceuticals, a US ophthalmology-focused pharmaceutical company, to develop and commercialize the retinal disease drug candidate KIO-301 in South Korea.

Under the agreement, Chong Kun Dang will take sole responsibility for the domestic development, regulatory approval and commercialization of KIO-301 across ophthalmic indications. Kiyora will receive milestone payments tied to development and approval stages, as well as royalties on domestic sales.

KIO-301 is a small-molecule drug candidate being developed primarily for retinitis pigmentosa, a rare hereditary retinal disease that causes progressive vision loss and blindness. The condition gradually degenerates the photoreceptor cells that detect light, narrowing the visual field until sight is lost entirely. South Korea has an estimated patient population of more than 10,000.

The candidate is designed to directly confer light-sensing function to retinal ganglion cells, which remain intact even after photoreceptors have degenerated. Because it works independently of specific genetic mutations, the treatment could potentially be expanded to other hereditary retinal diseases such as choroideremia and Stargardt disease.

The deal gives Chong Kun Dang an early foothold in a drug pipeline built around a novel mechanism not limited by a patient's genetic profile — an area of high unmet medical need. Combined with the company's existing ophthalmic clinical and commercial infrastructure, the agreement positions Chong Kun Dang to lead domestic commercialization of the treatment.

"KIO-301 is a drug candidate with a new mechanism of action that is not restricted to specific genetic mutations," said Kim Young-ju, CEO of Chong Kun Dang. "We will work closely with Kiyora and global partners to advance domestic development quickly, drawing on Chong Kun Dang's accumulated expertise and clinical and regulatory capabilities in ophthalmology."

Brian M. Strem, CEO of Kiyora, said the agreement extends the company's global development and commercialization network for KIO-301 to South Korea, following the United States, Europe, Japan and China. "We will work with Chong Kun Dang to advance the global Phase 3 trial efficiently and provide new treatment opportunities for patients in Korea," he said.