AAO 2026 Debrief: Retina's Durability Race & A Stargardt Pill Heads to an FDA Decision

<p>The Pharma Closeout&#39;s AAO 2026 Debrief covers the readouts from the American Academy of Ophthalmology meeting in New Orleans that matter for drug, device and payer strategy. Kodiak&#39;s DAYBREAK and Ocular Therapeutix&#39;s SOL-1 show retina&#39;s durability race: fewer injections than fixed-schedule aflibercept, with Eylea HD and Vabysmo untested and the old standard going biosimilar. Belite Bio&#39;s tinlarebant heads to a February FDA decision in Stargardt disease, Beacon&#39;s VISTA data back a gene therapy filing, and Nanoscope&#39;s optogenetic therapy holds at four years. Plus geographic atrophy&#39;s next bets, two GLP-1 eye studies pointing in opposite directions, Lytenava&#39;s billing-code gap, and what to watch: the October 30 myopia advisory committee and the February 12 Stargardt decision.</p><p><br></p><p>0:00 Cold open and introduction</p><p>1:06 Story of the Congress: retina&#39;s durability race (Kodiak, Ocular, EyePoint)</p><p>4:29 The old standard goes biosimilar</p><p>5:08 Inherited retinal disease moves into the FDA queue: Belite, Beacon, Nanoscope</p><p>8:00 Geographic atrophy: PRIMA, K8 and OCU410</p><p>9:45 GLP-1 drugs and the eye: two studies, two directions</p><p>11:01 Roundup: Lytenava&#39;s billing code, Oculis, SpyGlass</p><p>12:14 What to watch: the myopia advisory committee and the Stargardt decision</p><p><br></p><p>Alex Mercer and Maya Patel host. Get the daily rundown in your inbox — subscribe at https://thepharmacloseout.com.</p>