OKYO Pharma Ltd (NASDAQ:OKYO), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on treatments for neuropathic corneal pain (NCP) and inflammatory eye diseases, has announced plans to convene a Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) meeting during the 2026 American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ASCRS) Annual Meeting in Washington, DC.
The SAB meeting will bring together ophthalmology specialists and experts in corneal and ocular surface diseases to review clinical data for the company’s lead investigational candidate, urcosimod.
Participants are expected to provide guidance on the design and direction of the company’s upcoming clinical program, as OKYO prepares for its next trial phase.
In parallel with the advisory meeting, Dr. Pedram Hamrah of the University of South Florida, who is serving as the principal investigator for the urcosimod Phase 2 study, will present findings from a proof-of-concept trial.
The ASCRS Annual Meeting is a major event in the field of ophthalmology, drawing clinicians and researchers specializing in anterior segment and refractive surgery, as well as ocular surface diseases.
The presentation, titled “Evaluation of Urcosimod in Neuropathic Corneal Pain: Efficacy and Safety Results from a Proof-of-Concept Pilot Phase 2 Study,” is scheduled to take place on April 11, 2026, during the Ocular Surface Disease II session at the ASCRS meeting.
“This dual presence at ASCRS with both a formal data presentation and a dedicated Scientific Advisory Board meeting represents an important milestone for OKYO,” OKYO CEO Robert Dempsey said in a statement.
Dempsey added that the SAB meeting will help inform the next stage of development for urcosimod, with a subsequent clinical trial anticipated to begin in the first half of 2026.
“We are encouraged by the efficacy signals and safety profile observed in the Phase 2 study and look forward to leveraging the collective expertise of the SAB to accelerate the development of this therapy addressing a significant unmet need for patients suffering from neuropathic corneal pain,” Dempsey said.
Urcosimod, previously known as OK-101, is an investigational therapy being studied for the treatment of neuropathic corneal pain, a chronic condition associated with damage or dysfunction of corneal nerves and often characterized by persistent eye pain and sensitivity. The therapy has received Fast Track designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and is the first investigational drug to be granted an Investigational New Drug (IND) application specifically for NCP.
Currently, there are no FDA-approved treatments specifically indicated for neuropathic corneal pain, and patients are often managed with off-label therapies with varying degrees of effectiveness.
OKYO has reported positive results from a small Phase 2 trial evaluating urcosimod in patients with NCP, as well as earlier-stage studies in dry eye disease, where the drug demonstrated statistically significant improvements across multiple endpoints.