Business in Brief
Acquisitions, approvals, agreements and a potential Alcon spin-off
- Beaver-Visitec International are to acquire the single-use ophthalmic instrument manufacturer, Malosa Medical.
- According to Bloomberg, Novartis are rumored to have hired Bank of America for an Alcon business review – and may pursue a spinoff, with Novartis’ CEO Joe Jimenez quoted saying that the business is worth “$25–35 billion.”
- Novartis have also licensed ECF843, a recombinant human lubricin, from Lubris LLC. Lubricin deficiency is observed in many patients with dry eye.
- Alcon announced the EU launch of its CyPass micro-stent MIGS device, which is indicated for the treatment of patients with mild-to-moderate primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) in conjunction with cataract surgery, or as a standalone procedure in patients with POAG who have failed previous medical treatments.
- Heidelberg Engineering (HE) acquired UK-based electronic medical records firm, Medisoft Limited, adding to its ophthalmic IT offerings. Medisoft will retain their UK headquarters, and HE’s Arianna Schoess and Kfir Azoulay have joined Medisoft’s board of directors.
- Allergan and Argentum have reached an agreement to settle a patent dispute over Restasis. The agreement gives Argentum the right to sell a generic version of Restasis before Allergan’s patents on the drug expire.
- Imprimis licenses the Richard Lindstrom-developed chondroitin sulfate-containing topical dry eye treatment, Klarity eye drops.
