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Oculis Secures Full Rights to Privosegtor and ACT-02 in $3.8 Million Deal with Accure
Oculis Holding AG (Nasdaq: OCS) announced on 8 August 2026 that it will acquire Accure Therapeutics’ rights to the neuroprotective drug candidate Privosegtor (ACT‑01) and the early‑stage preclinical candidate ACT‑02. The transaction, approved by the boards of both companies, is valued at $3.8 million in cash and up to 2,050,000 Oculis ordinary shares. The cash payment will be made at the first closing, while the shares are split between an upfront portion subject to a lock‑up period of up to two years and an earn‑out portion that vests when development and regulatory milestones are met.
The first closing will transfer Privosegtor to Oculis. The second closing, which depends on the completion of the first, will transfer ACT‑02. Oculis expects to close the Privosegtor transaction no later than 28 February 2027 and the ACT‑02 transaction no later than 31 March 2027. Both closings are subject to separate conditions precedent.
Privosegtor is a peptoid small molecule that can cross the blood‑brain and retinal barriers. In a Phase 2 ACUITY trial, the drug produced measurable neuroprotective effects in patients with optic neuritis, including improvements in visual function and preservation of retinal ganglion cells. The results have led to Breakthrough Therapy designation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and Priority Medicines (PRIME) designation by the European Medicines Agency. Oculis is advancing Privosegtor in its PIONEER program, which includes three registrational trials: PIONEER‑1 evaluates the drug in patients after an acute onset of optic neuritis, PIONEER‑2 is planned for a broader population, and a third trial targets non‑arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy. The company also received positive FDA pre‑IND feedback for a planned IND submission in the fourth quarter of 2026 to investigate Privosegtor for acute multiple sclerosis relapses.
Accure, a private translational neuroscience company based in Barcelona, has a portfolio of three first‑in‑class programs: ACT‑01 (Privosegtor), ACT‑02 (a Parkinson’s disease candidate), and ACT‑03 (an epilepsy candidate). The transaction will transfer all rights to Oculis, allowing the company to terminate its legacy license agreement with Accure and secure global commercial rights to Privosegtor at reduced royalties. Oculis will assume existing license agreements with academic institutions, which require payment of low single‑digit royalties and preserve the institutions’ rights to use the assets for academic and non‑commercial purposes under Spanish law.
"Acquiring Accure’s rights to Privosegtor is an important strategic milestone for Oculis," said Riad Sherif, MD, CEO of Oculis. "By terminating our legacy license agreement with Accure, we can secure global commercial rights to this unique, long‑term asset at significantly reduced royalties as we build a leadership position in neuro‑ophthalmology."
Philippe Monteyne, MD, Chair of the Board of Accure, and Laurent Nguyen, MD, CEO of Accure, said the deal reflects the strength of the company’s scientific team and provides compelling value to shareholders.
The transaction is expected to enhance Oculis’s strategic flexibility and long‑term value creation. It also positions the company to accelerate the development of Privosegtor, which could become the first neuroprotective therapy for optic neuritis and potentially other neuro‑ophthalmic and neuro‑axonal diseases.
Oculis’s other pipeline asset, Licaminlimab, is a topical anti‑TNFα therapy under a registrational trial for dry eye disease. The company’s headquarters are in Switzerland, with operations in the United States and Iceland.
Accure was founded in 2020 and has received Series A funding led by Alta Life Sciences Spain I. The company’s portfolio includes three first‑in‑class programs, and it has a track record of advancing candidates through early development stages.
The transaction will be completed in two separate closings, with the first closing for Privosegtor expected by 28 February 2027 and the second for ACT‑02 by 31 March 2027. Until the closings are finalized, the assets remain under Accure’s ownership.
The deal is a significant development for the neuro‑ophthalmology sector, as it consolidates a promising neuroprotective candidate under a company with a focused pipeline and global reach. Investors will watch the progress of the PIONEER program and the upcoming IND submission for multiple sclerosis relapses, as well as the performance of Oculis’s other assets, in the coming months.
The transaction’s impact on Oculis’s share price and future earnings will become clearer after the first closing and as the company reports on the progress of its clinical programs. The company’s next earnings release is scheduled for the end of September 2026, at which time it will provide updates on the transaction and the status of its clinical trials.
The first closing will transfer Privosegtor to Oculis. The second closing, which depends on the completion of the first, will transfer ACT‑02. Oculis expects to close the Privosegtor transaction no later than 28 February 2027 and the ACT‑02 transaction no later than 31 March 2027. Both closings are subject to separate conditions precedent.
Privosegtor is a peptoid small molecule that can cross the blood‑brain and retinal barriers. In a Phase 2 ACUITY trial, the drug produced measurable neuroprotective effects in patients with optic neuritis, including improvements in visual function and preservation of retinal ganglion cells. The results have led to Breakthrough Therapy designation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and Priority Medicines (PRIME) designation by the European Medicines Agency. Oculis is advancing Privosegtor in its PIONEER program, which includes three registrational trials: PIONEER‑1 evaluates the drug in patients after an acute onset of optic neuritis, PIONEER‑2 is planned for a broader population, and a third trial targets non‑arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy. The company also received positive FDA pre‑IND feedback for a planned IND submission in the fourth quarter of 2026 to investigate Privosegtor for acute multiple sclerosis relapses.
Accure, a private translational neuroscience company based in Barcelona, has a portfolio of three first‑in‑class programs: ACT‑01 (Privosegtor), ACT‑02 (a Parkinson’s disease candidate), and ACT‑03 (an epilepsy candidate). The transaction will transfer all rights to Oculis, allowing the company to terminate its legacy license agreement with Accure and secure global commercial rights to Privosegtor at reduced royalties. Oculis will assume existing license agreements with academic institutions, which require payment of low single‑digit royalties and preserve the institutions’ rights to use the assets for academic and non‑commercial purposes under Spanish law.
"Acquiring Accure’s rights to Privosegtor is an important strategic milestone for Oculis," said Riad Sherif, MD, CEO of Oculis. "By terminating our legacy license agreement with Accure, we can secure global commercial rights to this unique, long‑term asset at significantly reduced royalties as we build a leadership position in neuro‑ophthalmology."
Philippe Monteyne, MD, Chair of the Board of Accure, and Laurent Nguyen, MD, CEO of Accure, said the deal reflects the strength of the company’s scientific team and provides compelling value to shareholders.
The transaction is expected to enhance Oculis’s strategic flexibility and long‑term value creation. It also positions the company to accelerate the development of Privosegtor, which could become the first neuroprotective therapy for optic neuritis and potentially other neuro‑ophthalmic and neuro‑axonal diseases.
Oculis’s other pipeline asset, Licaminlimab, is a topical anti‑TNFα therapy under a registrational trial for dry eye disease. The company’s headquarters are in Switzerland, with operations in the United States and Iceland.
Accure was founded in 2020 and has received Series A funding led by Alta Life Sciences Spain I. The company’s portfolio includes three first‑in‑class programs, and it has a track record of advancing candidates through early development stages.
The transaction will be completed in two separate closings, with the first closing for Privosegtor expected by 28 February 2027 and the second for ACT‑02 by 31 March 2027. Until the closings are finalized, the assets remain under Accure’s ownership.
The deal is a significant development for the neuro‑ophthalmology sector, as it consolidates a promising neuroprotective candidate under a company with a focused pipeline and global reach. Investors will watch the progress of the PIONEER program and the upcoming IND submission for multiple sclerosis relapses, as well as the performance of Oculis’s other assets, in the coming months.
The transaction’s impact on Oculis’s share price and future earnings will become clearer after the first closing and as the company reports on the progress of its clinical programs. The company’s next earnings release is scheduled for the end of September 2026, at which time it will provide updates on the transaction and the status of its clinical trials.
