Inotek Pharmaceuticals

Inotek Pharmaceuticals Corporation was a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, founded in 1996 by Andrew Salzman, with its headquarters in Lexington, Massachusetts. The company concentrated its efforts on the discovery, development, and commercialization of treatments for serious ocular diseases, particularly glaucoma. Its business model was centered on advancing its product candidates through rigorous human clinical trials, a process that involved substantial investment in research and development. The company was publicly traded on the NASDAQ under the ticker ITEK.

The primary asset in Inotek's pipeline was trabodenoson, a first-in-class selective adenosine mimetic. This compound was designed to lower intraocular pressure (IOP), a key factor in glaucoma, by restoring the eye's natural fluid drainage system through the trabecular meshwork. Trabodenoson was developed as both a monotherapy eye drop and in a fixed-dose combination with latanoprost, a standard glaucoma treatment. The development program for trabodenoson progressed through Phase 1, 2, and 3 clinical trials. While early and mid-stage trials showed promising results in IOP reduction with good tolerability, the pivotal Phase 3 MATRx-1 monotherapy trial and a subsequent Phase 2 trial of the fixed-dose combination failed to meet their primary efficacy endpoints, showing only marginal improvement over existing treatments or placebo.

Following the disappointing clinical trial outcomes in 2017, Inotek began exploring strategic alternatives to maximize shareholder value. This process culminated in a definitive merger agreement with Rocket Pharmaceuticals Ltd., a private, US-based gene therapy company. The transaction, which closed in January 2018, was a reverse merger that saw the combined entity retain the Rocket Pharmaceuticals name and focus on developing gene therapies for rare diseases. Inotek shareholders retained approximately 19% of the new company, with the deal effectively marking the end of Inotek's operations as an independent entity focused on ophthalmology. The merger provided Rocket with a Nasdaq listing and access to Inotek's remaining cash reserves.

Keywords: Inotek Pharmaceuticals, trabodenoson, glaucoma treatment, ocular hypertension, clinical-stage biopharmaceutical, ophthalmology, intraocular pressure, adenosine mimetic, reverse merger, Rocket Pharmaceuticals, Phase 3 trial, MATRx-1, latanoprost, eye disease, drug development, David P. Southwell, Andrew Salzman, biopharmaceutical services, cell death therapeutics, DNA repair therapeutics