News

Six years after OSI Pharmaceuticals Inc. bought Eyetech Pharmaceuticals Inc. for $650 million on the promise of its treatment for wet age-related macular degeneration, Valeant Pharmaceuticals International Inc. has announced it will acquire Eyetech for $22 million.

Ophthalmologists using a proprietary confocal scanning laser ophthalmoscope with a fundus autofluorescence module can now quantify and track progression of geographic atrophy over time, thanks to the release of new software.

Results from an integrated analysis of data from 12 months of follow-up in the two similarly designed prospective, randomized studies comparing aflibercept and ranibizumab indicate that intravitreal injection of aflibercept every 2 months is safe, predictably effective therapy for neovascular age-related macular degeneration and comparable to monthly ranibizumab 0.5 mg.

The results of the direct comparison of ranibizumab and bevacizumab after 1 year of treatment showed that the two drugs adminisred according to monthly and as-needed protocols produced significant decreases in retinal fluid with small amounts of residual fluid in patients with AMD.

The use of laser to treat diabetic macular edema is often the topic of debate.

A multicolor pattern scan laser should help laser therapy maintain or potentially expand its role in the treatment of certain retinal diseases even with the availability of effective new injectable pharmaceutical products, according to retinal specialists.

New software (version 6.0) introduced for a proprietary high-definition ocular coherence tomography platform provides researchers and clinicians an expanded set of diagnostic tools to use in the evaluation and management of patients with AMD and glaucoma.

On Feb. 13, Merck announced that it received approval from the FDA to market its one-of-a-kind, preservative-free, prostaglandin analog, tafluprost ophthalmic solution 0.0015%, for lowering IOP in patients with open-angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension.

Ocriplasmin can eliminate the need for surgery to close macular holes in a substantial percentage of patients.

On Jan. 30, vismodegib became the first drug approved by the FDA for the treatment of advanced basal cell carcinoma.

The American Board of Opticianry review course will be provided at the annual meeting of the American Society of Ophthalmic Administrators.

Questcor Pharmaceuticals Inc. has appointed Scott M. Whitcup, MD, to its board of directors.

J. Craig Venter, PhD, founder and chief executive officer of Synthetic Genomics Inc., will be the keynote speaker at the annual meeting of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology.

The Museum of Vision, a public service program of the Foundation of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, marked Presidents’ Day by presenting a look at the vision problems of U.S. Presidents Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, and Woodrow Wilson.

Robert C. Welsh, MD, believed to be the first U.S. surgeon to limit his practice to cataract surgery, died Jan. 8. He was 89.

Does marketing one bottle of anti-inflammatory ophthalmic product for use in both eyes for post-surgical indications have an effect on the potential risk for infection? The FDA’s Dermatologic and Ophthalmic Drugs Advisory Committee will address this issue when it meets Feb. 27 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Washington DC – Silver Spring, 8727 Colesville Rd., Silver Spring, MD.

Since its November commercial launch, use of aflibercept (Eylea, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals) has elicited reports of post-injection sterile intraocular inflammation at a rate of 0.05% per injection, the company informed the FDA in a Feb. 13 letter. Most of the cases, however, appear to be tied to one group practice.

The promise and advantages offered by a newly developed, irradiated sterile cornea (VisionGraft, Tissue Banks International) for performing lamellar and other non-endothelial surgical procedures are great, according to Yassine J. Daoud, MD.

More than 400 guests attended the Houston “Eye Ball” on Feb. 10. Proceeds will benefit the Houston Eye Associates Foundation and Prevent Blindness Texas, both non-profit organizations dedicated to meeting the critical eye-care needs of the less fortunate.

StemCells Inc. will begin a phase I/II clinical trial to evaluate the safety and preliminary efficacy of the company’s purified human neural stem cell product candidate (HuCNS-SC) in dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD) after having received authorization from the FDA.

Ocular Therapeutix will conduct a pivotal clinical trial with a proprietary synthetic hydrogel polymer (ReSure Sealant) over clear corneal incisions after having received an investigational device exemption from the FDA.

The FDA has indicated that it will grant priority review to ThromboGenics’ recently submitted biological license application (BLA) for the use of ocriplasmin intravitreal injection 2.5 mg/ml for symptomatic vitreomacular adhesion, including macular hole. Therefore, the company has withdrawn its original BLA and expects to resubmit it by April.

Valeant Pharmaceuticals International Inc. has agreed to acquire Eyetech Inc., a privately owned ophthalmic biotechnology company specializing in treatments for retinal diseases.

A corneal inlay (KAMRA, AcuFocus) is proving to be a good treatment option for presbyopia in emmetropic patients.

The FDA has approved tafluprost ophthalmic solution 0.0015%(Zioptan, Merck), a preservative-free prostaglandin analog, for reducing elevated IOP in patients with open-angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension.

The optimal use of mitomycin C in glaucoma surgery in pediatric patients is still controversial.

Loteprednol etabonate ophthalmic suspension 0.2% is a safe and effective first-line therapy for the treatment of seasonal and perennial allergic conjunctivitis.

Use of spectacles, contact lenses, or medications does not inhibit the progression of myopia for any length of time, as seen in in large major studies in children.

Doing the best possible job for patients with ocular allergies involves a careful ferreting out of symptoms and selecting the most effective treatments based on the severity of the disease and the effectiveness of the medications.

Analysis of data from two bilateral conjunctival allergen challenge studies of olopatadine hydrochloride ophthalmic solution 0.2% showed that ocular itching was prevented in a higher percentage of eyes treated with olopatadine when compared with vehicle.