Tarsier Pharma: New Data Reveal Sharp Rise in Vision Loss from Uveitis, Underscoring Urgent Need for Safer Treatments

TEL AVIV, Israel, July 24, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Two recent independent U.S.-based academic studies analyzing around 100 million patient records each have confirmed a troubling surge in uveitis-related vision loss over the past decade – highlighting a major unmet need despite the introduction of new treatments.

In one of the largest uveitis populations analyzed in the U.S. to date, anterior uveitis cases nearly doubled from 2013 to 2023, with anterior uveitic glaucoma representing over a quarter (26.6%) of cases (Kirupaharan et al., 2025). Another study (Chu et al., 2024) revealed that uveitis with comorbid glaucoma, retinal vein occlusion (RVO), or neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) has the highest prevalence of severe vision loss and blindness in non-genetic eye diseases. Uveitic glaucoma patients were found to have nearly three times the risk of blindness or severe visual loss compared to uveitis alone (33% vs. 12%).

"We are deeply grateful to the dedicated researchers who are shedding critical light on uveitis and the severity of this condition," said Daphne Haim-Langford, Ph.D., founder and CEO of Tarsier. "Uveitis is a leading and underrecognized cause of visual impairment. These data confirm what clinicians are seeing in practice – that despite therapeutic advances, the rates of vision loss remain unacceptably high. There's a pressing need for safer, treatments that not only control intraocular inflammation but also safeguard patients from devastating comorbidities like glaucoma. The urgency of our mission to bring the dazdotuftide eye drop formulation to patients with uveitis and uveitic glaucoma is undeniable against the backdrop of this robust and overwhelming data."

Dr. Meghan Berkenstock, last author of the American Journal of Ophthalmology publication, added:

"Our extensive study not only demonstrated that the prevalence of uveitis is much higher than previously believed but highlighted the tremendous burden of low vision that patients with uveitis face. As uveitis specialists, we are often caught in a terrible predicament with our patients, particularly those with uveitic glaucoma, where the only immediate option to control their uveitis is topical steroids, despite the known risks they pose to worsening their glaucoma. There is an enormous unmet need for a safer alternative to topical steroids for these patients."

To further explore these findings and their implications, Tarsier Pharma will join Cantor Fitzgerald for a live webinar: 'Uncovering the Hidden Burden: How Big Data Challenges the Dogma on Uveitis and Visual Loss' Wednesday, July 30 2025 at 1:00 p.m. ET.

Please contact your Cantor representative to register.

Panelists include:
– Dr. Jeffrey Brown (TriNetX, Harvard Medical School)
– Dr. Meghan Berkenstock (Johns Hopkins, Wilmer Eye Institute)
– Prof. Alan Palestine (University of Colorado School of Medicine)

About Tarsier

Tarsier Pharma is a late-stage clinical company developing TRS01 (dazdotuftide), a first-in-class, macrophage-modulating eye drop designed to treat non-infectious uveitis safely and effectively. TRS01 is entering its second Phase 3 trial under a Special Protocol Agreement with the FDA.

More at: www.tarsierpharma.com

Contact:
[email protected]

Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2737620/Meghan_Berkenstock.jpg

SOURCE Tarsier Pharma