OKYO Pharma Pitch Deck Teardown: Biotech Drug Development

OKYO Pharma Pitch Deck Teardown: Early-Stage Biotech Drug Development

This teardown analyzes the investor slides for OKYO Pharma Limited, an early-stage biotech company. The deck, titled 'OKYO Investors Slides 2020' according to its SlideShare source, comprises 24 slides in total, with 8 provided for review. The presentation focuses on the company's scientific platform, lead drug candidates, and preclinical development. As a biotech deck, it heavily emphasizes scientific rationale, mechanism of action, and preclinical data, which is typical for this sector at an early stage. However, it also presents some common omissions for such a deck, particularly around team, market specifics, and financial asks.

General Impressions

The OKYO Pharma deck is clean and professional in its design, utilizing a consistent color scheme of pink and white. The layout is straightforward, with clear headings and bullet points. The scientific content is dense, as expected for a biotech presentation, and includes detailed diagrams, charts, and tables. The deck effectively communicates the scientific foundation and the progress of their lead drug candidates. However, the absence of key business-oriented slides suggests this might be part of a larger presentation or intended for a scientifically sophisticated audience already familiar with the company's team and financial needs.

Slide-by-Slide Breakdown

Slide 1: Title Slide

The first slide serves as the title page, prominently displaying the company name, OKYO Pharma Limited , in a large, pink font against a white background. A subtle pink gradient border frames the top and bottom of the slide. In the bottom left corner, the text 'Proprietary & Confidential © 2019 OKYO Pharma Limited' is printed vertically, indicating the deck's ownership and confidentiality status as of 2019. This slide effectively introduces the company without any additional text or imagery.

Slide 2: G-PROTEIN COUPLED RECEPTOR SIGNALING PLATFORM

This slide introduces OKYO Pharma's core scientific platform. The title, 'G-PROTEIN COUPLED RECEPTOR SIGNALING PLATFORM', is at the top, with the OKYO Pharma Limited logo in the upper right. The slide uses four bullet points to convey key information:

It states that the G-Protein Coupled Receptor (GPCR) signaling field has garnered worldwide attention from drug developers since a Nobel prize in Chemistry was awarded in 2012 for research in this area. · It notes that large pharmaceutical companies such as Novartis, Pfizer & Astra Zeneca are heavily investing in modulation of GPCR signaling. · The slide claims that about 30% of all marketed drugs target GPCRs. · Finally, it specifies OKYO's focus on therapeutic applications of two different GPCR targets: Chemerin receptor agonist OKYO-0101 for dry eye, uveitis and allergic conjunctivitis, and MAS-Related GPCR (MRGPR) agonist OKYO-0201 for ocular and chronic pain.

This slide effectively establishes the scientific relevance and market opportunity for their chosen therapeutic area.

Slide 3: EYE DISEASES OF HIGH UNMET NEED

Titled 'EYE DISEASES OF HIGH UNMET NEED', this slide focuses on the market opportunity for one of OKYO's indications. A pyramid graphic on the left lists various eye diseases, with 'Dry Eye' positioned in the middle, showing '(2017 Revenue $ 3.7 Bln)'. Other diseases listed are AMD, Glaucoma, DME, Cataract, and Allergy. On the right, three bullet points elaborate on Dry Eye:

Dry Eye is described as a multifactorial disease caused by underlying inflammation resulting in the lack of lubrication and moisture on the surface of the eye. · It affects over 35% of 50+ older population, with women representing approximately two-thirds of those affected. · The slide states that dry eye syndrome represents a major economic burden in public healthcare accounting to total annual cost for the management of disease to US economy more than $50 billion.

This slide clearly articulates the significant market and medical need for dry eye treatments, providing specific statistics for prevalence and economic burden.

Slide 4: IDENTIFICATION OF LEAD PEPTIDE

This slide, titled 'IDENTIFICATION OF LEAD PEPTIDE', delves into the technical aspects of OKYO's drug discovery. It begins with a text block explaining that 'Using membrane-tethered ligand technology licensed from On Target Therapeutics, a lead compound Chem-9 was identified which showed efficacy greater than full-length protein.' Below this, there are three main graphical elements:

A diagram illustrating the process of 'Synthetic anchored drug' development, showing steps from 'Selected peptide' to 'Enhanced Drug-like Properties' via 'Synthetic chemistry STEP 2' and 'Add anchor STEP 3'. · A set of images showing 'Vehicle' and 'Chemerin' rows, each with five blue-stained eye images, captioned 'Lead peptide Chem-9 improved the dry eye symptoms in mice model'. This provides visual preclinical data. · A diagram illustrating the 'Hydrophilic loop' of a peptide, showing its 'Anchor' and 'GPCR' components.

This slide provides a high-level overview of the scientific methodology and initial preclinical results for their lead peptide.

Slide 5: Poster Presentation at the Late-Breaking Session at [Unreadable Conference Name]

This slide is a reproduction of a scientific poster, titled 'OKYO-0101, an agonist of G-protein coupled receptor (GPCR), ameliorates inflammation in an experimental model of dry eye disease in mice'. The authors are listed as 'Raj Patil¹³, Benjamin Harwood², Alan Kopkin² and Kunwar Shailubhai¹³' with affiliations '¹Baruch S. Bloomberg Institute, ²On Target Therapeutics, LLC, Boston, MA and ³OKYO Pharma, Doylestown, PA'. The poster is divided into sections: BACKGROUND, RESULTS (MICE DRY EYE STUDIES, RABBIT SAFETY STUDIES, MECHANISM), METHODS, CONCLUSIONS, REFERENCES, and DISCLOSURES. The text within the poster is largely unreadable at this resolution, but the presence of graphs (e.g., 'Ocular Irritation Scores', 'Goblet Cell density reduced by DED', 'OKYO-0101 normalized inflammatory CD4+ T cells') and diagrams (e.g., 'Chemerin GPCR signaling Anti-inflammatory action of OKYO-0101') indicates detailed preclinical data. This slide serves to validate the scientific rigor and preclinical progress of OKYO-0101.

Slide 6: OKYO-0101 DEVELOPMENT TIMELINES

Titled 'OKYO-0101 DEVELOPMENT TIMELINES', this slide presents a visual roadmap for the development of OKYO-0101. A large blue arrow curves upwards from left to right, indicating progress over time. Key stages are marked along the arrow:

'Lead peptide identified' · 'GMP peptide manufacturing' · 'Animal efficacy and safety studies' · 'Stability/formulation studies' · 'ADME/PK studies' · 'GLP Safety/toxicity study'

At the top, three major phases are shown: 'Pre-Clinical Studies', 'IND Enabling Studies', and 'IND Submission'. The arrow culminates in '1st Disease Indication: Dry Eye' and 'Anticipated IND Submission: Q1, 2021'. This slide provides a clear, albeit high-level, timeline for the progression of OKYO-0101 towards clinical trials.

Slide 7: OKYO-0201 DEVELOPMENT TIMELINES

Similar in structure to the previous slide, this slide is titled 'OKYO-0201 DEVELOPMENT TIMELINES' and outlines the development path for the second lead candidate. A blue arrow depicts the timeline, with the same overarching phases: 'Pre-Clinical Studies', 'IND Enabling Studies', and 'IND Submission'. Specific milestones include:

'Lead peptide identified' · 'Synthesis of new analogs' · 'Identification of novel analogs using cell based assay (expected to be completed by Q2 2019)' · 'Topical formulations' · 'Efficacy evaluation in animal models' · 'IND enabling studies'

The arrow concludes with '1st Disease Indication: Ocular Pain' and 'Anticipated IND Submission: TBC'. The 'TBC' (To Be Confirmed) for the IND submission date indicates that this program is at an earlier stage or has a less defined timeline compared to OKYO-0101.

Slide 8: LIPIDATED BAM 8 AND Γ2-MSH PEPTIDES LICENSED FROM TUFTS UNIVERSITY

This technical slide, titled 'LIPIDATED BAM 8 AND Γ2-MSH PEPTIDES LICENSED FROM TUFTS UNIVERSITY', details the licensed intellectual property. It features a table showing the 'Chemical structure of synthesized lipidated peptides', specifically 'Bam 8-22 – VGRPEWWMDYQKRYG' and 'Lipidated γ2-MSH'. The table includes 'Peptide', 'Structure', 'Calculated' and 'Observed' molecular masses. Below the table, three bullet points provide additional details:

'Lipidated BAM8 – VGRPEWWMDYQKRYGGK – coupled to palmitic acid via PEG linker' · 'Claimed two amino acid modifications – M15A and Y17W' · 'γ2-MSH – YVMGHFRWDRFG – coupled to palmitic acid via PEG linker'

This slide highlights the specific chemical compounds and the academic licensing agreement that underpins some of OKYO's technology.

What Works Well

The OKYO Pharma deck effectively communicates the scientific foundation and early-stage progress of its drug candidates. The focus on GPCR signaling (Slide 2) immediately establishes the company's relevance in a well-understood and validated therapeutic area within pharma. The problem statement for dry eye (Slide 3) is strong, quantifying the market size, prevalence, and economic burden, which helps investors understand the commercial potential. The inclusion of preclinical data (Slide 4, 5) and detailed development timelines (Slide 6, 7) provides tangible evidence of progress and a clear roadmap for investors to track. Licensing information (Slide 8) adds credibility and highlights intellectual property. The consistent branding and clean design across the slides also contribute to a professional presentation.

What Is Missing

Several critical components typically expected in an investor pitch deck are absent from these 8 slides. Most notably, there is no 'Team' slide, which is crucial for early-stage biotech where the expertise and track record of the founders and scientific advisory board are paramount. While a market size for dry eye is provided (Slide 3), a broader market analysis for all target indications (uveitis, allergic conjunctivitis, ocular pain, chronic pain) is missing. There are no financial projections, funding ask, or details on how the raised capital would be utilized. A competitive landscape analysis would also be beneficial to position OKYO's approach against existing or pipeline therapies. Finally, the resolution of the poster slide (Slide 5) makes much of its content unreadable, diminishing its impact.

What a Founder Should Copy

Founders, particularly in biotech, should emulate OKYO's clear articulation of their scientific platform and its broader industry relevance (Slide 2). The concise and impactful problem statement, backed by specific market data for dry eye (Slide 3), is an excellent example of how to establish market need. Presenting preclinical data, even at a high level, and providing clear development timelines (Slide 4, 6, 7) are essential for demonstrating progress and setting expectations for investors. The inclusion of intellectual property details, such as licensing agreements (Slide 8), also adds significant value and credibility. The overall clean design and consistent branding are also elements worth adopting for a professional presentation.