On behalf of the VERONA study investigators, Texas Retina’s Ashkan M. Abbey, MD, delivered a presentation titled “VERONA: End-of-Study Results from a Phase 2 Trial of EYP-1901 (vorolanib intravitreal insert) versus Aflibercept for Diabetic Macular Edema” at the 58th Annual Scientific Meeting of The Retina Society held September 10-13, 2025, in Chicago, Illinois.

EYP-1901 and the VERONA Trial

EYP-1901 is a bioerodible, sustained-release intravitreal insert that was designed to provide consistent release of voralanib, a tyrsosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) that acts against all vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) receptors. It aims to last at least 6 months, reducing the frequency of treatments needed compared to current standard-of-care anti-VEGF intravitreal injections. Texas Retina has been studying EYP-1901 for several years.

The Phase 2 VERONA clinical trial evaluated the durability, safety and efficacy of EYP-1901 in patients with active, previously treated diabetic macular edema (DME) compared to a control arm that received aflibercept. All patients in the study received a single aflibercept 2 mg injection at Day 1, followed by either voralanib 1.3 mg, 2.7 mg, or a sham injection. Patients were followed monthly for 24 weeks and received supplemental anti-VEGF injections per prespecified criteria.

Key Findings of the Phase 2 VERONA Trial

The Phase 2 VERONA trial met its primary endpoint with both dose levels of EYP-1901 demonstrating extended time to first supplemental treatment versus aflibercept. Additional key findings included the following:

  • Over 70% of eyes treated with the 2.7 mg dose of EYP-1901 were supplement-free up to Week 24.
  • Following a single dose of EYP-1901, best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) of +7 letters was observed at Week 4 and sustained throughout the trial. Excluding a single outlier patient who missed multiple visits, BCVA in the 2.7 mg arm improved +10 letters from baseline.
  • Central subfield thickness (CST), a measure of retinal swelling in the macula, decreased with EYP-1901, particularly with the higher dose arm, which showed a reduction of -75.9 µm versus -43.7 µm in the aflibercept arm.
  • EYP-1901 demonstrated a favorable safety profile, with no ocular or systemic serious adverse events (SAEs).

Additionally, in a sub-analysis of eyes that were supplement-free for the entire study, 43% of patients in the EYP-1901 2.7 mg arm had an absence of DME at Week 24 compared to 0% in the aflibercept-only arm.

“Together, these data support EYP-1901 as a potential treatment for DME with improved outcomes with longer dosing intervals,” says Dr. Abbey. “This is a meaningful reduction in treatment burden for patients.”

Previous Texas Retina Studies on EYP-1901
In 2022, Texas Retina Associates randomized the first patient in EyePoint Pharmaceuticals’ Phase 2 “Durasert and Vorolanib in Ophthalmology 2” (DAVIO 2) clinical trial of EYP-1901 for patients with wet macular degeneration. Dr. Abbey presented topline results from that study at the 2024 Retinal World Congress Meeting. Earlier this year, he presented the first-year results of DAVIO 2 at Hawaiian Eye and Retina 2025. In June, Dr. Abbey was interviewed for an article about the VERONA study in Retinal Physician.

Click here to access a full list of Texas Retina’s current clinical trials.

About Ashkan Abbey, MD

Texas Retina’s director of clinical research for Dallas, Dr. Abbey cares for patients in the Dallas Main and Rockwall offices. You can learn more about him here.

About The Retina Society

The Retina Society was founded in 1968 exclusively for educational and scientific purposes concerning the diagnosis, care, and treatment of diseases and injuries to the retina.