BUZZ - Kodiak Sciences shares rise as its eye disease drug meets clinical trial targets

September 28 - ** The pharmaceutical company Kodiak Sciences (stock code: KOD.O) saw its share price rise by 43.9% in pre-market trading to $46.56

** The company stated that its experimental drugs Zenkuda and tabirafusp-ted achieved their primary endpoints in a late-stage clinical trial for patients with wet age-related macular degeneration

** Both drugs led to improvements in vision at one year, with efficacy not inferior to the comparator drug aflibercept

** Wet age-related macular degeneration results in abnormal leakage from blood vessels under the retina, which could result in loss of central vision

** Approximately 54% of Zenkuda patients achieved six-month dosing intervals, potentially reducing the number of required intravitreal injections

** The overall safety profile of both drugs was consistent with aflibercept; Kodiak Sciences plans further analysis to identify which patients may benefit most from tabirafusp-ted

** The company plans to apply for US marketing approval for Zenkuda in Q4 2026, based on five successful late-stage clinical trials in three retinal diseases

** As of the previous trading day's close, KOD was up 15.7% year-to-date

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