Ollin Biosciences takes aim at Roche with $100M and bold eye drug strategy

Ollin Biosciences launched with $100M to develop next-gen eye disease treatments, including OLN324, an antibody designed to outperform Roche’s Vabysmo in macular degeneration and diabetic eye disease.

Why it matters: If successful, Ollin could disrupt a multibillion-dollar ophthalmology market by offering more potent, easier-to-administer treatments for serious eye conditions.

Backstory: CEO Jason Ehrlich, a former Genentech and Kodiak Sciences exec, helped launch Vabysmo at Roche. Now, he’s building a lean biotech to improve on that very therapy using assets sourced from Chinese firms Innovent and VelaVigo.

Zoom in: The first candidate, OLN324, targets VEGF and Ang2 like Vabysmo, but is smaller and more potent, while the second candidate, OLN102, targets TED and Graves' disease, the goal being to improve on Amgen’s Tepezza with a dual-target approach and injection delivery.

Big picture: Ollin represents a shift toward smaller, agile biotechs tackling commercialization in focused specialty markets, like ophthalmology, where innovation and speed can rival pharma giants.

What´s next?: A 150-patient Phase 1b head-to-head trial with Vabysmo is already underway, with top-line results expected in Q1 2026. Ollin’s 12-person team also plans to expand its asset portfolio and may commercialize its products in-house.