Qlaris Bio

Qlaris Bio is a clinical-stage biotechnology company in Dedham, Massachusetts, founded in 2019, developing first-in-class therapies for glaucoma and other serious ophthalmic diseases. Its lead candidate, QLS-111, is a preservative-free topical ATP-sensitive potassium channel opener that lowers intraocular pressure by relaxing the vascular and vascular-like tissues distal to the trabecular meshwork, reducing episcleral venous pressure and distal outflow resistance rather than acting on the pathways addressed by existing drops. The company reported positive topline results from two U.S. Phase II trials, Osprey and Apteryx, in primary open-angle glaucoma and ocular hypertension, and has dosed patients in a further Phase II trial, Nightingale, in normal tension glaucoma. It is also developing a fixed-dose combination of QLS-111 with latanoprost, and previously closed a $24 million Series B.

QLS-111 targets episcleral venous pressure and distal outflow resistance, a pressure-lowering pathway that currently approved glaucoma drugs do not fully address, which the company argues allows lower intraocular pressure targets and opens indications such as normal tension glaucoma and Sturge-Weber syndrome.