Clearside Biomedical, Inc. (NASDAQ:CLSD) saw its stock decline 0.7% Thursday following the company’s announcement that it is exploring strategic alternatives to advance its proprietary Suprachoroidal Space (SCS) delivery platform and ophthalmology pipeline.
The biopharma firm has engaged Piper Sandler to assist with the evaluation process, which may involve asset sales, licensing deals, monetization, divestitures, or potential partnerships, mergers, or acquisitions.
In conjunction with this review, Clearside is enacting substantial cost reductions. All employees, including CEO, CFO, and CMO, will shift to consulting roles this week, and the company will temporarily halt all internal research and development efforts during the process.
“Given the current unpredictable economic environment and challenging fundraising conditions in the biopharmaceutical industry, we are taking the necessary next steps to evaluate strategic alternatives for the Company,” stated George Lasezkay, Clearside’s President and CEO.
Clearside spotlighted its SCS Microinjector platform, which facilitates in-office, non-surgical delivery of therapies to the back of the eye targeting retinal diseases. Its lead candidate, CLS-AX, is ready for Phase 3 trials to treat wet AMD, following a successful end-of-Phase 2 meeting with the FDA in February 2025.
The company also noted ongoing commercial collaborations with Aura Biosciences, Bausch + Lomb, BioCryst Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: BCRX), REGENXBIO, AbbVie (NYSE: ABBV), Arctic Vision, and Santen.
Clearside stressed that no agreements have been finalized, and there is no certainty the review will lead to any transaction. No timeline has been set for the strategic process, and updates will only be provided once the Board approves specific next steps.
Clearside Biomedical stock price
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