SAN DIEGO, Oct. 01, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Belite Bio, Inc (NASDAQ: BLTE) (“Belite Bio^®” or the “Company”), a clinical-stage drug development company focused on advancing novel therapeutics targeting degenerative retinal diseases that have significant unmet medical needs, today announced that its data will be presented at the Innovate Retina conference being held on October 8, 2026, in New Orleans, Louisiana, and at the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) 2026 being held on October 9-12, 2026, in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Innovate Retina Presentation Details

Session 1: Inherited Retinal Diseases (IRD)
Title: What Is Coming to the Clinics: Tinlarebant for Stargardt Disease
Presenter: Paul Bernstein, MD, PhD, Professor of Ophthalmology and Vice-Chair for Clinical and Basic Science Research at the Moran Eye Center, University of Utah
Date and Time: October 8, 2026 3:04 – 3:07 p.m. CST
Location: InterContinental New Orleans, Salle A-C Ballroom (3rd floor)

Session 7: Industry Insights & Advanced Therapeutics (Non-CME)
Title: Panel Discussion
Panel Members include Hendrik P. N. Scholl, MD, MA, Chief Medical Officer at Belite Bio, Inc, Adjunct Professor at the Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Medical University of Vienna (Vienna, Austria); Senior Consultant at Pallas Klinik Zürich, Pallas Kliniken AG (Zürich, Switzerland); and President of the European Vision Institute (Basel, Switzerland).

Date and Time: October 8, 2026, 6:45 – 7:15 p.m. CST
Moderators: Stephen Smith, MD and Wiley Chambers, MD
Location: InterContinental New Orleans, Salle A-C Ballroom (3rd floor)

AAO Presentation Details

Session: RET22
Title: Topline 24-Month Results from the Phase 3 DRAGON Study of Tinlarebant for Adolescent Stargardt Disease
Presenter: Quan Dong Nguyen, M.D., Professor of Ophthalmology at the Byers Eye Institute and Professor of Pediatrics and Professor of Medicine (Immunology and Rheumatology), Stanford University School of Medicine
Date and Time: October 10, 2026, 4:18 – 4:23 p.m. CDT
Location: Morial Convention Center, New Orleans Theater

Session: PA043
Title: Phase 3 DRAGON Trial of Tinlarebant for Stargardt Disease (STGD1)
Presenter: Jacque L. Duncan, M.D., Department Chair and Professor of Ophthalmology, University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine
Date and Time: October 11, 2026, 11:30 – 11:37 a.m. CDT
Location: Morial Convention Center, Room 255-257

About Tinlarebant (a/k/a LBS-008)

Tinlarebant is a novel oral therapy that is intended to reduce the accumulation of vitamin A-based toxins (known as bisretinoids) that cause retinal disease in Stargardt disease type 1 (STGD1) and also contribute to disease progression in geographic atrophy (GA), or advanced dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Bisretinoids are by-products of the visual cycle, which is dependent on the supply of vitamin A (retinol) to the eye. Tinlarebant works by reducing and maintaining levels of serum retinol binding protein 4 (RBP4), the sole carrier protein for retinol transport from the liver to the eye. By modulating the amount of retinol entering the eye, tinlarebant reduces the formation of bisretinoids. Tinlarebant has been granted Breakthrough Therapy Designation, Fast Track Designation, and Rare Pediatric Disease Designation in the U.S., Orphan Drug Designation in the U.S., Europe, Japan, and Switzerland, and Sakigake Designation in Japan for the treatment of STGD1.

About Stargardt Disease

STGD1 is the most common inherited macular dystrophy in both adults and children. The disease is caused by mutations in a retina-specific gene (ABCA4), which results in progressive accumulation of bisretinoids leading to retinal cell death and progressive loss of central vision. The fluorescent properties of bisretinoids and the development of high-resolution retinal imaging systems have helped ophthalmologists identify and monitor disease progression. Currently, there are no approved treatments for STGD1.

About Belite Bio

Belite Bio is a clinical-stage drug development company focused on advancing novel therapeutics targeting degenerative retinal diseases that have significant unmet medical needs, such as Stargardt disease type 1 (STGD1) and geographic atrophy (GA) in advanced dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD), in addition to specific metabolic diseases. Belite Bio’s lead candidate, tinlarebant, is an oral therapy intended to reduce the accumulation of bisretinoid toxins in the eye. The Company has completed a Phase 3 trial (DRAGON) in adolescent and adult subjects with STGD1, which met its primary endpoint, and the Company’s new drug application for tinlarebant for the treatment of STGD1 was accepted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), with priority review, in August 2026. The FDA has set a Prescription Drug User Fee Act date of February 12, 2027. Tinlarebant is also currently being evaluated in a Phase 2/3 trial (DRAGON II) in adolescent and adult subjects with STGD1 and a Phase 3 trial (PHOENIX) in subjects with GA. For more information, follow us on X, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Facebook, or visit us at www.belitebio.com.

Media and Investor Relations Contact:
ir@belitebio.com