A drug that works harder and lasts longer, if the trials prove it.
In the quiet arithmetic of drug development, a Maryland biotech has entrusted its most promising vision-restoring molecule to a company built expressly to navigate the corridors of Asian medicine. NovaBridge's subsidiary Visara has licensed VIS-101—a bifunctional biologic targeting the proteins that drive blinding retinal diseases—to Everest Medicines, granting it exclusive rights across Greater China, Singapore, South Korea, and parts of Southeast Asia. The arrangement is less a transaction than a relay: one company hands the baton to another better positioned to run the final, most consequential leg of the race. For the millions across Asia quietly losing their sight to wet AMD, diabetic macular edema, and retinal vein occlusion, the clock is already running.
- Retinal diseases rob vision gradually and irreversibly, and current treatments—frequent injections that often lose their effect over time—leave patients and doctors searching for something better.
- VIS-101's dual-action mechanism, targeting both VEGF-A and ANG-2 simultaneously, promises greater durability than existing therapies, but it has yet to prove itself in the large-scale trials that matter most.
- Everest Medicines, a Hong Kong-listed company with deep clinical and commercial infrastructure across Asian markets, steps into ophthalmology for the first time by absorbing all financial obligations under the license.
- The appointment of Everest's president and CFO Ian Woo—a veteran of over thirty-five billion dollars in M&A advisory work—to NovaBridge's board signals that both sides intend this partnership to grow well beyond a single drug deal.
- With Phase 2 dose-ranging trials nearing completion in China, the path to Phase 3 in 2026 and potential regulatory approval within one to two years is narrow but navigable—if the data holds.
On the last day of October, a Maryland biotech announced a handoff that could reshape how millions of Asians with failing eyesight access treatment. NovaBridge Biosciences, through its subsidiary Visara, has granted Everest Medicines exclusive rights to develop and commercialize VIS-101 across Greater China, Singapore, South Korea, and parts of Southeast Asia—pairing a promising experimental drug with a company built specifically to move through Asian markets.
VIS-101 is a bifunctional biologic that targets two proteins at once—VEGF-A and ANG-2—designed to treat wet age-related macular degeneration, diabetic macular edema, and retinal vein occlusion. Where current standard-of-care treatments require frequent eye injections and often lose effectiveness over time, VIS-101 is designed to work harder and last longer. Early safety studies in the United States and China are complete, and a Phase 2 dose-ranging trial in China is nearing its end. If development stays on track, Phase 3 trials will begin in 2026.
Everest Medicines has spent its existence building clinical and commercial muscle in markets where Western pharmaceutical companies often move slowly. For Everest, VIS-101 opens a field it has not yet entered: ophthalmology, where unmet patient need remains acute. The company will assume all financial obligations under the agreement and reimburse Visara for any upfront payments already made.
The deal also brought a notable personnel shift. Ian Woo, Everest's president and CFO—a former Lazard Frères managing director who raised over a billion dollars in equity and advised on more than thirty-five billion dollars in M&A—has joined NovaBridge's board. His appointment suggests both sides see this as the beginning of a deeper relationship, not a one-time exchange.
NovaBridge's CEO Sean Fu described the arrangement as central to the company's strategy of identifying promising molecules and accelerating them through global partnerships. Visara's co-founder Emmett Cunningham called VIS-101 a potential second-in-class drug with best-in-class characteristics—a medicine that arrives after competitors but performs better. NovaBridge retains rights to VIS-101 everywhere outside the licensed territories.
For the millions of people in Asia living with progressive eye disease, the timeline is not abstract. Each month of delay is another month of vision lost—and the Phase 2 data, expected soon, will determine whether that timeline holds.
On the last day of October, a Maryland-based biotech company announced a handoff that could reshape how millions of Asians with failing eyesight access treatment. NovaBridge Biosciences, through its subsidiary Visara, has granted Everest Medicines exclusive rights to develop and sell VIS-101 across Greater China, Singapore, South Korea, and parts of Southeast Asia—a move that pairs a promising experimental drug with a company built specifically to navigate Asian markets.
VIS-101 is not a minor tweak to existing medicine. It is a bifunctional biologic that targets two proteins at once: VEGF-A and ANG-2. The drug is designed to treat wet age-related macular degeneration, diabetic macular edema, and retinal vein occlusion—conditions that steal vision from millions. The current standard of care requires frequent injections directly into the eye and often loses effectiveness over time. VIS-101 promises to work harder and last longer, though it remains unproven in large-scale human trials. The drug has completed early safety studies in both the United States and China and is now finishing a Phase 2 dose-ranging trial in China. If development stays on track, it will be ready for Phase 3 trials in 2026.
Everest Medicines, a Hong Kong-listed company, has spent its existence building clinical and commercial muscle in Asian markets where Western pharmaceutical companies often move slowly. The company's leadership has deep roots in both global pharma and Chinese drug development. For Everest, VIS-101 represents something it has not yet pursued: entry into ophthalmology, a field where unmet patient need remains acute. The company will assume all financial obligations under the license agreement and reimburse Visara for any upfront payments already made.
The deal also brought a personnel shift at NovaBridge's board level. Ian Woo, who serves as president and chief financial officer of Everest Medicines, has joined NovaBridge's board. Woo's résumé reads like a map of global biotech finance: he spent years as a managing director at Lazard Frères, raising over one billion dollars in equity and advising on mergers and acquisitions worth more than thirty-five billion dollars. He holds degrees from Tufts, Columbia, and Columbia Business School. His appointment signals that NovaBridge sees the partnership not as a one-time transaction but as the beginning of a deeper relationship.
Sean Fu, NovaBridge's chief executive, framed the arrangement as aligned with the company's core strategy: identifying promising molecules and partnering with global innovators to move them forward faster. Emmett Cunningham, Visara's co-founder and executive chairman, emphasized that VIS-101's unique potency and durability profile position it as a potential second-in-class drug with best-in-class characteristics—industry language for a medicine that arrives after competitors but performs better. Woo himself noted that the partnership allows Everest to leverage its established clinical development and commercialization infrastructure to bring the drug to Asian patients sooner than NovaBridge could alone.
The licensing agreement traces back to earlier deals. Visara acquired global rights to VIS-101 through an assignment from AffaMed and a direct license from AskGene. Now, Visara has assigned its direct license with AskGene to Everest Medicines, covering Greater China, Singapore, South Korea, and select Southeast Asian countries. NovaBridge retains control of VIS-101 everywhere else on Earth.
What happens next depends on the Phase 2 data. If the drug continues to show promise, Everest will move into Phase 3 trials in 2026—large, randomized studies that will test whether VIS-101 truly outperforms existing treatments in real patients. Success there could lead to regulatory approval within one to two years. For the millions of people in Asia living with progressive eye disease, the timeline matters. Each month of delay is another month of vision lost.
Notable Quotes
This partnership allows us to leverage our clinical development and commercialization expertise to advance VIS-101 in Greater China and across Asia.— Ian Woo, President and CFO of Everest Medicines
VIS-101 has a robust opportunity to be a second-in-class with best-in-class potential treatment for patients around the world with wet AMD, diabetic macular edema, and retinal vein occlusion.— Emmett T. Cunningham Jr., Co-Founder and Executive Chairman of Visara
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
Why does it matter that this deal happened now, in October 2025? What was the urgency?
The drug is at an inflection point. Phase 2 is wrapping up in China. If the data looks good, Phase 3 is next—and that's where most drugs fail. NovaBridge needed a partner with the clinical credibility and commercial reach to move fast in Asia. Waiting another year would have meant losing momentum.
But NovaBridge could have run Phase 3 themselves, right? Why hand it off?
They could have, but they would have been slower. Everest has relationships with Chinese regulators, investigators, and hospitals. They speak the language—literally and culturally. In ophthalmology, speed matters because patients are losing vision every day the drug isn't available.
What makes VIS-101 different from what doctors use now?
Current treatments hit one target. VIS-101 hits two at once—VEGF-A and ANG-2. That dual action is supposed to make the drug work better and last longer between doses. Fewer injections into the eye means less burden on patients and potentially better outcomes.
Is there any risk this deal doesn't work out?
Of course. Phase 3 could fail. The drug might not perform as well in large trials as it did in Phase 2. Or regulators might demand more data. But the structure of the deal—Everest assuming all payment obligations—protects NovaBridge from downside while letting Everest capture upside if the drug succeeds.
Why did Ian Woo join NovaBridge's board? Is that just a courtesy?
No. It signals that NovaBridge and Everest are building something longer-term. Woo brings credibility in biotech finance and operations. His presence on the board means NovaBridge gets real strategic input from someone who understands Asian markets deeply. It's a vote of confidence in both directions.
What happens to patients if this works?
In two to three years, if Phase 3 succeeds and regulators approve, millions of people across Asia with wet AMD, diabetic macular edema, and retinal vein occlusion could have access to a potentially better treatment. That's the whole point.