2025-12-02, 7:19:44 a.m.
TEL AVIV, Israel — December 2, 2025 — Leads & Copy — PainReform Ltd. (Nasdaq: PRFX) announced that its pharmaceutical division has started developing OcuRing™-K, LayerBio’s patented, drop-less, intraoperatively administered sustained-release ocular therapy designed for controlled, site-specific release of ketorolac after cataract surgery.
Following the completion of PainReform’s investment in LayerBio and the integration of OcuRing-K into PainReform’s portfolio, the company conducted an internal assessment with LayerBio’s management to define development priorities and establish a path for the program.
Work is underway toward the Phase II clinical trial.
OcuRing-K is designed to provide consistent intraocular therapeutic levels of an NSAID (non-steroidal, non-opiate, anti-inflammatory analgesic). LayerBio’s technology addresses limitations of traditional postoperative eye-drop regimens, which require multiple daily steroid and NSAID drops for weeks and deliver less than 5% of the drug inside the eye.
OcuRing-K eliminates the drop-dependent approach through a single, intraoperative, sustained-release therapy.
Inefficient delivery of eye drops produces sharp fluctuations in drug levels, increasing the potential for inconsistent efficacy and side effects. OcuRing-K provides direct, localized delivery to target tissues with lower systemic exposure, offering controlled and stable therapeutic coverage compared to eye drops. It also reduces contamination risks, such as contact between dropper bottles and ocular tissues.
Preclinical studies and a Phase I clinical evaluation demonstrated reductions in post-surgical pain and inflammation while using significantly lower total drug exposure than standard eye-drop regimens. The sustained-release kinetics of OcuRing-K maintained therapeutic levels over time, supporting improved ocular safety, reduced systemic side effects, and enhanced patient compliance, especially among elderly populations.
Cataract surgery is one of the most common procedures worldwide, with around 4.5 million surgeries performed annually in the U.S. and more than $9 billion in global annual surgical procedure volume. Current postoperative management uses multi-week corticosteroid and NSAID eye-drop regimens, which can burden elderly patients and are often delivered inconsistently to ocular tissues.
LayerBio’s platform also supports delivery of a range of other ocular therapeutics—including NSAIDs, antibiotics, steroids, and anti-VEGF agents—aligning with PainReform’s plans to explore additional ophthalmic indications after developing OcuRing-K.
PainReform Chairman Ehud Geller said the company’s plan identifies post-cataract pain and inflammation as the initial target indication for OcuRing-K. Geller added that commencing the development plan for OcuRing-K and advancing work toward the next clinical trial marks a key milestone in their strategy to deliver drop-less solutions to one of the most common surgical procedures worldwide, and that LayerBio’s data demonstrate the potential of this technology to provide consistent pain and inflammation control with lower drug exposure than traditional drops.
PainReform and LayerBio plan to advance OcuRing-K through its next stage of clinical development in the U.S., where approval could unlock a high-volume reimbursable market and enable expansion across additional ophthalmic indications.
OcuRing-K continues to be led by Dr. Ken Mandell, LayerBio’s founder and CEO.
PainReform will provide further updates as the OcuRing-K program advances.
Contact: Crescendo Communications, LLC Tel: 212-671-1021 Email: prfx@crescendo-ir.com Dr. Ehud Geller Chairman and interim Chief Executive Officer PainReform Ltd. Tel: +972-54-4236711 Email: egeller@medicavp.com
