Aerie Pharmaceuticals (NSDQ: AERI) announced the extension of its drug-delivery R&D contract with DSM Biomedical.

The extended deal with DSM offers Aerie an elite worldwide license to DSM’s polyesteramide polymer technology for a limitless number of drugs in any ophthalmic indication and also an exposure to DSM’s preclinical latanoprost implant created for people with glaucoma. The two companies have spanned their partnership till the end of 2020, as per Aerie.

Aerie split over $6 million to DSM and offered $9 million through the end of 2020, as part of the new agreement.

The group developed a polyesteramide-based implant having AR-13503, an Aerie-possessed drug that acts on vascular dysfunction, fibrosis and inflammation in retinal diseases, from their earlier collaboration. Aerie remarked that it looks to file an IND application with the FDA for AR-13503 in 2019.

“This expanded agreement with DSM opens up many new opportunities to Aerie as we continue to innovate with new drugs and technologies to potentially treat many diseases of the eye, far beyond our current priority of moving AR-13503 into the clinic next year. For Aerie, this is a platform upon which we can build our innovative sustained release strategies for many ophthalmic diseases, including glaucoma,” Aerie’s chairman & CEO, Vicente Anido, Jr., said in prepared remarks.

“We are very excited that we have expanded our partnership with Aerie, a company that is widely recognized as a leading company in the development of new ophthalmology medicines that have the potential to brighten the lives of many patients,” Marc Hendriks, head of strategy & alliances at DSM Biomedical, added. “Moreover, it is a validation of the enabling value our bioerodible polyesteramide polymer brings in the development of innovative sustained release products; a platform technology that we can extend to other disease areas.”