Mor Dickman
LISBON ― A new European Cornea and Cell Transplantation Registry, co-funded by the EU Health Program and the ESCRS, has been set with the aim of creating a large multinational database for corneal transplantation in Europe.
“It is a unique opportunity to monitor and compare outcomes, gather information on practice patterns, evaluate the outcome data of new surgical procedures and give a realistic picture of expected outcomes,” Mor Dickman, MD, said. “On a personal level, it is a great incentive to promote quality improvement, providing benchmarks for comparing (Read more...)
Author: Healio ophthalmology
Biomimetic corneal substitutes show promise
Michel Haagdorens
LISBON, Portugal — Collagen-like peptide hydrogels show encouraging results in preliminary studies and are a promising alternative for human donor corneas, according to a speaker.
“Corneal transplantation is highly effective and is the most common tissue graft technique, but immune rejection is still an issue in some cases. In addition, the global shortage of donor corneas strongly indicates the need for lab-grown alternatives,” Michel Haagdorens, MD, said at the EuCornea meeting.
Both synthetic and recombinant human collagen type I and III are cross-linked to
Biomimetic corneal substitutes show promise
Michel Haagdorens
LISBON Collagen-like peptide hydrogels show encouraging results in preliminary studies and are a promising alternative for human donor corneas, according to a speaker.
“Corneal transplantation is highly effective and is the most common tissue graft technique, but immune rejection is still an issue in some cases. In addition, the global shortage of donor corneas strongly indicates the need for lab-grown alternatives,” Michel Haagdorens, MD, said at the EuCornea meeting.
Both synthetic and recombinant human collagen type I and III are cross-linked to obtain hydrogels,
Nerve growth factor eye drops soon available in Europe for neurotrophic keratitis
LISBON, Portugal — Following approval by the European Medicines Agency in June, nerve growth factor eye drops will be available soon on the European market as a breakthrough treatment for neurotrophic keratitis and related conditions.
At the EuCornea meeting, Paolo Rama, MD, a pioneer in the use of nerve growth factor (NGF) for the treatment of corneal ulcers, said he was “immensely satisfied” with this achievement. A breakthrough molecule, which he was able to administer for compassionate use in a limited number of cases, will finally be available for widespread (Read more...)
Nerve growth factor eye drops soon available in Europe for neurotrophic keratitis
LISBON Following approval by the European Medicines Agency in June, nerve growth factor eye drops will be available soon on the European market as a breakthrough treatment for neurotrophic keratitis and related conditions.
At the EuCornea meeting, Paolo Rama, MD, a pioneer in the use of nerve growth factor (NGF) for the treatment of corneal ulcers, said he was “immensely satisfied” with this achievement. A breakthrough molecule, which he was able to administer for compassionate use in a limited number of cases, will finally be available for widespread use.
“It (Read more...)
VIDEO: Zeiss introduces three new technologies at ESCRS
LISBON, Portugal — Zeiss introduced a “next generation” enhanced depth of focus IOL, ultra-widefield imaging and an integrated surgical microscope here at the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons meeting.
The At Lara is a new enhanced depth of focus (EDOF) IOL, which offers the widest range of focus of any of the EDOF IOLs, according to a press release.
The OPMI Lumera 700 is now integrated for use in cataract, refractive, glaucoma, cornea and retina surgeries.
The company also introduced the Clarus 500 HD ultra-widefield fundus imaging system.
“I
VIDEO: Zeiss introduces three new technologies at ESCRS
LISBON ― Zeiss introduced a “next generation” enhanced depth of focus IOL, ultra-widefield imaging and an integrated surgical microscope here at the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons meeting.
The At Lara is a new enhanced depth of focus (EDOF) IOL, which offers the widest range of focus of any of the EDOF IOLs, according to a press release.
The OPMI Lumera 700 is now integrated for use in cataract, refractive, glaucoma, cornea and retina surgeries.
The company also introduced the Clarus 500 HD ultra-widefield fundus imaging system.
“I think (Read more...)
VIDEO: Small aperture IOL produces desirable visual outcomes
LISBON, Portugal — At the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons meeting here, H. Burkhard Dick, MD, PhD discusses the good visual acuity results achieved with the IC-8 small aperture IOL from AcuFocus for presbyopia correction.
VIDEO: Small aperture IOL produces desirable visual outcomes
LISBON ― At the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons meeting here, H. Burkhard Dick, MD, PhD discusses the good visual acuity results achieved with the IC-8 small aperture IOL from AcuFocus for presbyopia correction.
Top five retina headlines in September
Clinical trial news for a geographic atrophy treatment candidate topped retina news in September, with studies regarding age-related macular degeneration also making headlines.Here are the top five most read retina articles of the month on Healio.com/O…
Top five retina headlines in September
Clinical trial news for a geographic atrophy treatment candidate topped retina news in September, with studies regarding age-related macular degeneration also making headlines.Here are the top five most read retina articles of the month on Healio.com/O…
VSY to launch trifocal IOL at ESCRS
VSY Biotechnology announced the launch of the Acriva Trinova trifocal IOL at the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons congress in Lisbon, Portugal, according to a company press release.
The Acriva Trinova is manufactured with patent pending Seamless Vision Technology, which produces an IOL optical surface with no sharp edges, the release said. The lens shape reduces halos and scattered light, while the stepless design provides continuous vision.
The enhanced depth of focus lens is available in +3 D near add and +1.5 D intermediate add to provide up (Read more...)
Cybersecurity awareness month helps bring attention to vulnerabilities in health care
More than 200 data breaches have been reported at hospitals across the United States during the last 7 years, highlighting the increasing frequency of cybersecurity attacks nationwide.
“Broad access to health information, essential for hospitals’ quality improvement efforts and research and education needs, inevitably increases risks for data breaches and makes ‘zero breach’ an extremely challenging objective,” Ge Bai, PhD, CPA, an assistant professor at the Johns Hopkins Carey Business School, and colleagues wrote in a study published in JAMA Internal Medicine.
Congress probes Allergan’s patent deal with Native American tribe
Allergan’s patent-protection deal with the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe is under scrutiny from Congress, as the legislative body begins research into the agreement.
Allergan recently transferred its patents for Restasis (cyclosporine ophthalmic emulsion 0.05%) to the New-York based Native American tribe, which has sovereign immunity. Allergan will maintain exclusive licenses to the patents while paying the Saint Regis tribe $15 million annually.
A letter from members of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform to Brent Saunders, Allergan chairman, president and CEO, requests all
ACP: Increased Medicare Advantage transparency will reduce burdens, confusion
In a new policy paper, the American College of Physicians encouraged Medicare Advantage to increase transparency and better align plans to diminish excessive and burdensome administrative tasks on clinicians, as well as confusion among patients.
“As enrollment in Medicare Advantage [MA] plans increases, there is a growing interest in understanding the differences in care delivery, quality, resource utilization and cost between MA and traditional Medicare,” Jack Ende, MD, MACP, president of American College of Physicians (ACP), said in a press release. “If MA plans were to
Omeros settles Omidria patent infringement suit against Par
Par Pharmaceutical will have to wait until 2032 to begin marketing a generic version of Omeros’ Omidria, according to a settlement the two companies agreed to after a 3-day trial.
Omeros sued Par after the latter company filed an abbreviated new drug application with the FDA in 2015 to market a generic version of Omidria (phenylephrine 1% and ketorolac 0.3% injection), a press release from Omeros said. The company claimed Par would infringe on its Orange Book-listed patents by marketing a generic version.
Under the terms of the settlement agreement, (Read more...)
Ophthalmologists prescribe fewer opioids than peer physicians
Ophthalmologists, as a whole, prescribe opioids with discretion, according to a study.
An analysis of Medicare Part D prescriber data found that between 2013 and 2015 the majority of ophthalmologist (88.8%) wrote fewer than 10 opioid prescriptions per year, while 1% prescribed more than 100 per year. The remaining 10.2% wrote between 11 and 100 opioid prescriptions per year.
Furthermore, ophthalmologists typically prescribed only a 5-day supply of opioids, which showed “appropriate discretion,” the study authors said. In keeping with the national trend for all physicians,
Aerie acquires PRINT technology from Envisia
Aerie Pharmaceuticals has acquired the rights to Envisia Therapeutics’ PRINT technology, according to an Aerie press release.
The PRINT technology system creates sustained-release products utilizing fully scalable manufacturing processes, the release said. Aerie plans to use it to “accelerate the advancement of its pipeline to treat conditions in the back of the eye,” including wet age-related macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy.
Aerie initially will use the technology to make injectable implants containing AR-13154, its preclinical product candidate.
Additionally,
Aerie acquires PRINT technology from Envisia
Aerie Pharmaceuticals has acquired the rights to Envisia Therapeutics’ PRINT technology, according to an Aerie press release.The PRINT technology system creates sustained-release products utilizing fully scalable manufacturing processes, the release said. Aerie plans to use it to “accelerate the advancement of its pipeline to treat conditions in the back of the eye,” including wet age-related macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy.
BroadSpot Imaging completes $7.5 million in Series A funding
BroadSpot Imaging has secured $7.5 million in Series A funding to develop its suite of low-cost, high-efficiency imaging devices and software services, according to a press release.
Phoenix Venture Partners led the financing, joined by Camino Real Capital Partners, the release said.
“We are extremely pleased to have the support of Phoenix Venture Partners. Their partners bring more than capital, offering strategic and operational advice as well as value chain connections helpful in fostering BroadSpot’s organizational progress through product development to commercial success,”