Tarsus Pharmaceuticals Inc. announced the acquisition of iRenix Medical Inc., a clinical-stage ophthalmic biopharmaceutical company and developer of IRX-101, an investigational ocular antiseptic with the potential to improve the standard of care by reducing postprocedural pain and corneal toxicity in patients receiving intravitreal therapy, Tarsus said in a press release. 

IRX-101 is a stable aqueous chlorine dioxide solution that, in a phase 2b/3 study, demonstrated statistically significant reductions in postprocedural pain and corneal fluorescein staining compared to povidone-iodine (Betadine), the press release stated.

In the completed phase 2b/3 RELIEF trial involving 154 patients, IRX-101 demonstrated statistically significant improvements on 2 co-primary endpoints vs povidone-iodine. For pain reduction, there was approximately a 50% relative reduction in postprocedural pain scores (P=.0003), with half of the patients in the IRX-101 group reporting a pain score of zero. For corneal fluorescein staining, there was approximately a 25% relative reduction in corneal staining in the IRX-101 group (P=.0003), reflecting less corneal surface damage. 

Based on these data and in alignment with feedback from the US Food and Drug Administration, Tarsus said it plans to initiate a phase 3 study designed to evaluate the tolerability and safety of IRX-101 compared to povidone-iodine. The study is expected to begin enrolling in the first half of 2027 with results anticipated in 2028, the company said.