Drugs targeting early/intermediate AMD — Ophthalmologist-first strategy — March 2026
| Drug | Sponsor | Phase | Route | Enrollment Criteria | Why A1 Diagnosis Matters |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iptacopan | Novartis | Phase 2 | Oral | Early/iAMD in study eye; requires wet AMD in fellow eye; high-risk OCT features; age 50+ | Trial uses wet AMD in fellow eye as a workaround to find high-risk patients. A1 blood test could identify high-risk early AMD patients directly, expanding the eligible pool beyond this restrictive criterion. |
| Risuteganib | Allegro Ophthalmics | Phase 2a Complete | Intravitreal | Intermediate dry AMD; OCT threshold screening (EZ and photoreceptor layer thickness); SPA granted, Phase 2b/3 not yet started | Phase 2b/3 pivotal trial needs to enroll intermediate AMD patients. A1 could help ophthalmologists identify and refer candidates who might otherwise be missed (25% miss rate at eye exams). |
| Ocustatin | Drusolv Therapeutics | Pre-Phase 2 | Oral | Intermediate AMD with soft lipid-like drusen; 300-patient Phase 2 planned; IND in preparation | Small company (BrightFocus-funded) needs to find 300 intermediate AMD patients with drusen for Phase 2. A1 could accelerate enrollment by identifying candidates from ophthalmology practices. |
| Xiflam | InflammX / B+L | Phase 2 Planned | Oral | Intermediate AMD (iAMD); early stage prior to vision loss; iAMD trial initiating (active Phase 2 is for DME) | Oral drug treating both eyes — ideal for asymptomatic iAMD patients. A1 blood biomarkers (complement, inflammation) could help stratify which patients are most likely to respond. |
| Valeda PBM | Alcon | FDA Authorized | Light | Early/intermediate dry AMD; drusen ≥63µm on imaging; BCVA 20/32–20/100; no wet AMD or central GA | Patients are identified via standard imaging. However, most intermediate AMD patients are asymptomatic and never visit an ophthalmologist. A1 could flag high-risk individuals who should be referred for imaging. |
| ALG-1007 | Allegro Ophthalmics | Development | Eye Drops | Not yet defined for AMD (Phase 2 completed for dry eye disease only) | Too early to determine. AMD-specific development has not started; enrollment criteria not yet defined. |
| Undisclosed | OphtiMed Rx | Preclinical | TBD | Early/intermediate dry AMD; criteria TBD; first-in-human planned mid-2026 | Too early to determine. Preclinical stage with no published enrollment criteria yet. |
| IKAR-003 | Ikarovec | Preclinical | Intravitreal Gene Therapy | Intermediate AMD; designed to prevent progression to GA or wet AMD; VectorBuilder capsid deal Jan 2026 | Too early to determine. Preclinical with lead program (IKAR-001 for GA) targeting clinical trials late 2026. |