The Month in Business
Carl Zeiss and Aaren buy, Alimera raise working capital and Novo A/S make a milestone payment to Ophthotech for Fovista.
Already 2014 has seen a number of big business decisions being made in ophthalmology:
- Carl Zeiss Meditec AG purchased the American IOL manufacturer, Aaren Scientific, for US$70 million.
- Niche generic pharmaceutical company, Akorn, acquired all rights for Betimol (timolol ophthalmic solution) from Santen.
- Alimera Sciences raised approximately US$37.5 million, “as working capital for the commercialization of Iluvien in Europe and the ongoing pursuit of FDA approval in the United States”, according to Dan Myers, Alimera’s President and CEO.
- Ophthotech reached an enrolment milestone in the phase III safety and efficacy trial of Fovista (E10030), an anti-platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF). Making the milestone triggered a US$41.7 million payment from its partner, Novo A/S.
I spent seven years as a medical writer, writing primary and review manuscripts, congress presentations and marketing materials for numerous – and mostly German – pharmaceutical companies. Prior to my adventures in medical communications, I was a Wellcome Trust PhD student at the University of Edinburgh.
