Kubota Vision announces multiple partnerships around its eyeMO OCT device

(Image Credit: AdobeStock/Lagunov)

Kubota Vision Inc. announced a vendor agreement between Kubota Vision and IQVIA Services Japan G.K. for eyeMO, a portable, “low-cost,” home-based, remote, and in-office OCT device for monitoring retinal diseases.

Kubota Vision describes the eyeMO as a small handheld device that addresses needs in mobile health applications for self-monitoring of retina health by patients in the home and in remote field locations. The device aims to improve ophthalmic treatment outcomes in patients diagnosed with and treated for wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD), diabetic macular edema (DME), and other neovascular retinal diseases.

Announced in a press release from Kubota, the agreement is for a specific clinical study to be funded by Chugai Pharmaceutical Co, and IQVIA will support this clinical study as a coordination management agency and pay for the loan of eyeMO. The study will verify whether eyeMO “can be used in patients with diabetic macular edema (DME) in their homes, and the validity of retinal thickness measurements and measurements of retinal status for determining the presence of intra- and subretinal edema will take place.”

About the agreement with IQVIA Ryo Kubota, MD, PhD, Chairman, President, and CEO of Kubota Vision Inc., stated, “eyeMO is a state-of-the-art retinal monitoring device that aims to improve patient prognosis through promotion of home care in the field of ophthalmology. We are very pleased to have the opportunity to validate this device in this study and to see our technology being used even more extensively.”

On top of the agreement with IQVIA, Kubota Vision also announced an agreement with AUROLAB for an exclusive license for product development, manufacturing, and distribution of eyeMO. According to Kubota, AUROLAB intends to commercialize eyeMO in its core markets of India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, and Sri Lanka, as well as select underserved markets in Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East.

In a press release from Kubota, R.D. Sriram, Managing Director of AUROLAB, stated, “We are happy to align with Kubota Vision in making the portable OCT a much-needed device for low-resource settings, especially when patients’ access to eye clinics is challenging.”

AUROLAB is engaged primarily in the manufacture of a wide range of high-quality ophthalmic consumables, such as intraocular lenses, surgical sutures, pharmaceutical products, surgical blades, and equipment.

References:

1. Kubota Vision Announces Vendor Agreement with IQVIA for eyeMO. Press release. Released December 6, 2023. Accessed December 7, 2023. https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20231206807314/en/
2. Kubota Vision Announces Agreement with AUROLAB for Development, Manufacturing, Supply, and Distribution License of eyeMO. Press Release. Released December 5, 2023. Accessed December 7, 2023. https://www.kubotaholdings.co.jp/en/ir/docs/20231206