Kiora Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: KPRX) ("Kiora" or the "Company") has been granted a U.S. patent covering hydrogel-based sustained release platforms, inclusive of KIO-201, which enable controlled release of antibiotics for the treatment of ocular diseases. The intellectual property, US Patent No. 11,376,214, relates to non-blurring, antibiotic-containing hydrogel compositions that have an extended contact time on the eye and have potential to further improve the health of the ocular surface for accelerated wound healing.

"This patent strengthens our commercial position for next-generation versions for KIO-201," said Brian M. Strem, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Kiora. "In addition to potentially repairing corneal wounds as a standalone treatment, we see opportunities to employ our technology in combination with antibiotics to further accelerate wound healing and reduce post-surgical complications, including infections."

Kiora is currently evaluating KIO-201 in a clinical trial (NCT05436288) for Persistent Corneal Epithelial Defects (PCED), a condition characterized by delayed corneal healing. This can be due to a variety of factors, including physical trauma, surgical injury, infections or inflammatory ocular diseases. Classified as an orphan disease, it is estimated that there are fewer than 200,000 patients diagnosed annually in the United States with PCED^[1].

KIO-201 is a chemically modified form of the natural polymer hyaluronic acid, designed to accelerate natural corneal wound healing. It is formulated as a convenient eye drop and provides a thin coating to the surface of the eye. In a late-stage clinical trial in patients undergoing PRK surgical laser vision correction, KIO-201 demonstrated accelerated corneal re-epithelization. The chemical modifications enable enhanced viscoelastic properties and a longer ocular surface resonance time compared to standard hyaluronic acid.

About Kiora Pharmaceuticals

Kiora Pharmaceuticals is a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing and commercializing products for the treatment of ophthalmic diseases. KIO-301 is being developed for the treatment of retinitis pigmentosa. It is a molecular photoswitch that has the potential to restore vision in patients with inherited and/or age-related retinal degeneration. KIO-101 is being developed for the treatment of the Ocular Presentation of Rheumatoid Arthritis ("OPRA"). It is a next-generation, non-steroidal, immuno-modulatory and small molecule inhibitor of Dihydroorotate Dehydrogenase ("DHODH") with what Kiora believes is best-in-class picomolar potency and a validated immune modulating mechanism (blocks T cell proliferation and proinflammatory cytokine release) designed to overcome the off-target side effects and safety issues associated with commercially available DHODH inhibitors. In addition, Kiora is developing KIO-201, a modified form of the natural polymer hyaluronic acid, designed to accelerate corneal wound healing.

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Forward-Looking Statements

Some of the statements in this press release are "forward-looking" and are made pursuant to the safe harbor provision of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These "forward-looking" statements include statements relating to, among other things, the potential for the hydrogel compositions to improve ocular surface health, the development and commercialization of next-generation versions of KIO-201, the ability of KIO-201 to repair corneal wounds, efforts to enforce our intellectual property, the development and commercialization efforts and other regulatory or marketing approval efforts pertaining to Kiora's development-stage products, including KIO-101, KIO-201 and KIO-301, as well as the success thereof, with such approvals or success may not be obtained or achieved on a timely basis or at all. These statements involve risks and uncertainties that may cause results to differ materially from the statements set forth in this press release, including, among other things, the ability to conduct clinical trials on a timely basis, market and other conditions and certain risk factors described under the heading "Risk Factors" contained in Kiora's Amendment No. 1 to Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on July 7, 2022 or described in Kiora's other public filings. Kiora's results may also be affected by factors of which Kiora is not currently aware. The forward-looking statements in this press release speak only as of the date of this press release. Kiora expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to such statements to reflect any change in its expectations with regard thereto or any changes in the events, conditions, or circumstances on which any such statement is based, except as required by law.

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