- Alcon posted its Q2 2017 financial report. During this period, net sales were $1.5 billion (vision care and surgical sales rose by 2 and 3 percent, respectively), and the company made an operating loss of $19 million during that time. Parent company, Novartis, reported a net income over the same period of $2 billion (a rise of $0.2 billion over Q2 2016’s value), with net sales of $12.2 billion, and an operating income of $2.3 billion.
- Allegro Ophthalmics announced the completion of a private round of equity financing of $10.7 million to help progress the clinical evaluation of its lead compound Luminate (ALG-1001) through Phase II and III trials of the drug in patients with diabetic macular edema or vitreomacular traction.
- Iantech has received investments from two investment funds, Visionary Venture Fund and the Global Health Investment Fund, for the further research, development, and commercialization of their nitinol microfilament-based lens fragmentation technology, miLOOP.
- Kala Pharmaceuticals announced that it had priced its initial public offering of 6 million shares of common stock at a price of $15.00 per share, or aggregate gross proceeds of approximately $90 million before underwriting discounts, commissions and estimated offering expenses.
- Hot on the heels of its recent acquisition of Malosa Medical, Beaver-Visitec International announced it has acquired the Dutch ophthalmic technology company Vitreq.
- Spark Therapeutics has received two pieces of good news from the FDA regarding Luxturna. The FDA offices of Orphan Products Development and Pediatric Therapeutics have designated it as a drug for a rare pediatric disease, and the company’s application for a biologics license for the product was also recently accepted.
- Alimera Sciences have been given approval by the UK’s Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency to reduce the size of their post-marketing study of Iluvien. Originally intended to follow 800 patients over 5 years, the company states that their study “has shown consistent positive safety data, leading the company to seek a smaller sample size.” To date, 550 patients have been enrolled.
- The FDA rejects Ocular Therapeutix’ Dextenza for the second time, citing unresolved problems with manufacturing and quality control testing,
- Despite Verily, Samsung and Sony all filing patent applications that pertain to video cameras and intraocular lenses, it’s Strathspey Crown LLC that have received the first US patent issued for this combination of technologies, the company announced.
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.
