Business In Brief
Glaukos submits iDose IND to the FDA, Allergan bimatoprost implant shows promise, and ALPHAEON makes three deals in as many weeks
- Glaukos submitted an investigational new drug application to the FDA for an intraocular travoprost implant that uses their iDose sustained delivery system (a hollow titanium container filled with drug, with a membrane cap that regulates drug release, that’s placed via a clear corneal incision into the anterior chamber. Glaukos will commence a 12-week Phase II trial comparing two travoprost elution rates with topical 0.5% timolol maleate.
- Interim results from Allergan’s Phase I/II trial of single-dose, sustained-release intracameral bimatoprost-eluting implant have yielded positive safety and efficacy results. Four months into the 24-month trial, 92 percent of patients with open angle glaucoma exhibited a decrease in IOP, and at 6 months, 71 percent of patients still had no need for either topical rescue or a second injection of bimatoprost. Not one of the 75 patients enrolled into the trial experienced serious adverse events.
- ALPHAEON, a self-described “social commerce company,” has announced an agreement to acquire LENSAR, makers during refractive and cataract surgery. ALPHAEON has also entered into an agreement with PhysIOL, an intraocular lens manufacturer with a broad portfolio of products including an aspheric trifocal diffractive lens known as the FineVision. Together, the companies plan to develop and commercialize a specialized, ALPHAEON-branded trifocal lens. ALPHAEON’s chief executive officer, Robert E. Grant, has made it clear that dysfunctional lens syndrome is a new target for his company. Alphaeon have had a busy month – in mid-November , they announced the purchase of Integrity Digital Solutions LLC, an ophthalmology/optometry electronic medical records company.
While obtaining degrees in biology from the University of Alberta and biochemistry from Penn State College of Medicine, I worked as a freelance science and medical writer. I was able to hone my skills in research, presentation and scientific writing by assembling grants and journal articles, speaking at international conferences, and consulting on topics ranging from medical education to comic book science. As much as I’ve enjoyed designing new bacteria and plausible superheroes, though, I’m more pleased than ever to be at Texere, using my writing and editing skills to create great content for a professional audience.
