New York, Feb 17, 2026, 05:15 EST — Premarket
- OCUL up about 30% before the bell, ahead of a Phase 3 readout due this morning
- Company scheduled an 8 a.m. ET webcast to discuss topline SOL-1 results in wet AMD
- Full dataset slated for the Macula Society meeting later this month
Ocular Therapeutix shares jumped 30% in premarket trading on Tuesday as investors positioned for a closely watched clinical data release that could reset expectations for the company’s lead retinal program. (Google)
The move matters because this is a binary moment for a development-stage biotech: a single topline update can reprice the stock in minutes, and the wet age-related macular degeneration market is built around repeat eye injections that many patients stay on for years. (National Eye Institute)
Traders have been focused on whether the company’s approach can hold vision outcomes while stretching the time between treatments, a key selling point in a field where dosing burden is often the complaint.
Ocular said it would host a webcast at 8:00 a.m. ET to review topline results from the SOL-1 Phase 3 superiority trial of AXPAXLI (also known as OTX-TKI) in wet AMD. The company said detailed data will be presented at the 49th Macula Society Annual Meeting on Feb. 25-28. (BioSpace)
AXPAXLI is an axitinib intravitreal hydrogel built on the company’s bioresorbable hydrogel technology, and Ocular is also studying it in other retinal diseases, the company said.
But the setup cuts both ways. In a December filing, Ocular said U.S. regulators have historically required two adequate and well-controlled trials for ophthalmic drugs in large indications like wet AMD, and it warned the FDA may not accept a single-trial package even if the data are positive. The company said it nonetheless intends, assuming positive data, to submit a new drug application based on year-one results from SOL-1 without waiting for additional clinical data.
Competition is heavy. Regeneron’s Eylea is an established anti-VEGF shot for wet AMD, and Roche markets Vabysmo, another injected therapy targeting pathways linked to retinal disease. (Regeneron)
Beyond Tuesday’s topline headline numbers, investors will look for details on safety and durability in the full presentation at the Macula Society meeting, which is scheduled for Feb. 25-28 in Coronado, California. (Macula Society)
