Tarsus Advances Eye Care Leadership Strategy with Acquisition of iRenix Medical and Late-Stage Asset IRX-101

About this update from Tarsus Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

IRX-101 targets a significant need for millions of patients facing vision loss and has the potential to improve the standard of care Positive Phase 2b/3 data and an FDA-aligned Phase 3 program provide a clear and near-term path forward; transaction structured to align economics with future value creation Tarsus to host investor conference call today, July 8, 2026, at 1:30 p.m. PT / 4:30 p.m. ET IRVINE, Calif., July 08, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Tarsus Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: TARS) today announced the acquisition of iRenix Medical, Inc., a privately held, 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 post-procedural pain and corneal toxicity in patients receiving intravitreal therapy. IRX-101 is a stable aqueous chlorine dioxide solution that, in a Phase 2b/3 study, demonstrated statistically significant reductions in post-procedural pain and corneal fluorescein staining (a measure of corneal surface damage) compared to povidone-iodine (Betadine®). "With XDEMVY, we demonstrated the importance of meaningful innovation in areas of eye care that had previously been overlooked despite their significant impact on patients," said Bobby Azamian, M.D., Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of Tarsus. "We believe IRX-101 has the potential to do the same for patients with retinal disease who rely on repeated procedures to preserve their vision. By reducing the pain and ocular surface toxicity associated with current antiseptic approaches, IRX-101 has the potential to benefit both patients and physicians while also establishing an important foundation in retina as we continue building a leading eye care company." An Overlooked Opportunity to Improve Patient Care More than 11 million intravitreal injections are performed in the United States each year, the vast majority of which rely on povidone-iodine as a pre-procedural antiseptic. For many patients, povidone-iodine is associated with significant ocular surface toxicity, resulting in corneal damage and pain that can persist for days following treatment. Despite this – and despite being contraindicated in patients with iodine sensitivity – there have been no new FDA-approved ocular antiseptics in more than four decades. Patients with chronic retinal diseases, including neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD), diabetic macular edema (DME), retinal vein occlusion (RVO)-related macular edema, and geographic atrophy (GA) frequently require treatment with intravitreal injections as often as every four weeks to preserve vision. Because treatment is ongoing and highly dependent on patient adherence, discomfort associated with povidone-iodine exposure – including post-procedural pain and corneal toxicity – can become a cumulative and recurring burden. This may affect a patient's willingness to return for future treatments and disrupt continuity of care.

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