As part of its effort to increase competition in the prescription drug market, the FDA released a list of drugs that are off-patent and off-exclusivity without approved generics and produced a revised manual of policies and procedures for review of abbreviated new drug applications, including prioritization for generic products.“No patient should be priced out of the medicines they need, and as an agency dedicated to promoting public health, we must do our part to help patients get access to the treatments they require,” Scott Gottlieb, MD, commissioner of the FDA, (Read more...)
Author: Healio ophthalmology
Mortality risk likely to be higher among uninsured patients
With the Congressional Budget Office report indicating that 22 million Americans will lose insurance coverage by 2026 under the Senate’s proposed Better Care Reconciliation Act, a recent study published in Annals of Internal Medicine shows that a lack of insurance is associated with increased mortality.In this study, Steffie Woolhandler, MD, MPH, and David U. Himmelstein, MD, from City University of New York School of Urban Public Health at Hunter College and Harvard Medical School, summarized the current evidence relating to the connection between insurance and mortality. Currently, approximately 28 million (Read more...)
Nidek to offer Medmont E300 corneal topographer in US
Nidek has partnered with Medmont International to offer the Medmont E300 corneal topographer in the United States, according to a Nidek press release. The partnership will allow Nidek to add the topographer to its portfolio, as well as give Medmont a “well-respected partner in the ophthalmology space,” Robert Heavyside, president of Medmont, said in the release.
VIDEO: Big data may be future of ophthalmology
NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. ― At the OCTANe Ophthalmology Technology Summit, Andrew Chang, head of global sales of ophthalmic devices at Carl Zeiss Meditec, discusses some of the amounts of data, such as nearly a billion OCT images, the company has accumulated. Chang said he believes big data is the future of ophthalmology and will help physicians improve patient care.
Armed with CBO report, AAFP sharply critical of Senate health care bill
AAFP has unleashed a new round of criticism in the wake of the Congressional Budget Office releasing an analysis of the Senate health care bill known as the Better Care Reconciliation Act. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) report, released yesterda…
VIDEO: Mitro updates Roclatan studies, Aerie financing
NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. ― At the OCTANe Ophthalmology Technology Summit here, Tom Mitro, president and chief operating officer of Aerie Pharmaceuticals, discusses the OCTANe Ophthalmology Technology Summit. He also gives an update on the latest phase 3 studies of Roclatan and the company’s latest round of funding.
New extended depth of focus IOL design offers good MTF over wide dioptric interval
Results for a new aspheric IOL with double spherical aberration in the central 3-mm pupil aperture zone suggest the lens provides good visual acuity between 4 m and 50 cm, according to a study. The Mini WELL IOL (SIFI) is an extended depth of focus IOL…
AMA opposed to Senate Health Care bill
The AMA sent a letter to Senate leaders stating its overwhelming disapproval with the U.S. Senate’s proposal to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. The Senate Better Care Reconciliation Act of 2017, released to the public last week, maintains much from the version the House passed May 4, but presents some critical changes, such as a slower phase out of Medicaid expansion and funding cost-sharing exchange plans for 2 years.
VIDEO: Preliminary study of Ozurdex for CME, proliferative retinopathy encouraging
BALTIMORE — At the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology meeting here, Angelo Minnella, MD, of Catholic University of the Sacred Heart in Rome, discusses 6-month results of Ozurdex (dexamethasone intravitreal implant, Allergan) for the treatment of patients with macular edema and proliferative retinopathy.
Antony Mattessich named next CEO of Ocular Therapeutix
Antony Mattessich will take over as CEO of Ocular Therapeutix by Sept. 30, according to a company press release.Mattessich succeeds Amar Sawhney, PhD, current CEO and chairman of the board of directors, who will transition to an executive chairma…
VIDEO: Data analytics important for private ophthalmology practices
NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. ― At the OCTANe Ophthalmology Technology Summit, Cynthia A. Matossian, MD, discusses the importance of data analytics in a private ophthalmology practice to help improve the bottom line of the clinic.
VIDEO: Physicians can benefit from big data
NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. ― At the OCTANe Ophthalmology Technology Summit, John A. Hovanesian, MD, discusses a panel he moderated here discussing the role of big data, how much is being accumulated by industry and how physicians will be able to use that data to improve patient outcomes.
VIDEO: Mazzo discusses cooperation of large, small companies in ophthalmology
NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. ― At the OCTANe Ophthalmology Technology Summit here, Jim Mazzo, global president of ophthalmic devices at Carl Zeiss Meditec, discusses how companies both large and small are cooperating to grow business in ophthalmology; Johnson & Johnson’s CEO’s commitment to ophthalmology; and how the OTS meeting is helping to bring all parties together.
VIDEO: OCTANe CEO discusses formula for growing business in Orange County
NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. ― At the OCTANe Ophthalmology Technology Summit here, Bill Carpou, CEO of OCTANe, discusses the goals of the meeting and how OCTANe is working to grow businesses and move startup companies from an idea to a successful business platform.
J&J CEO confirms company’s commitment to ophthalmology
NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. — Johnson & Johnson is “absolutely committed” to ophthalmology and is actively looking at ways to increase its presence in the space due to the large unmet needs of an aging population, Alex Gorsky, CEO of Johnson & Johnson, said here. In a wide-ranging interview at the OCTANe Ophthalmology Technology Summit with Jim Mazzo, global president of ophthalmic devices at Carl Zeiss Meditec, Gorsky was asked if he sees other areas in ophthalmology in which the company could further expand or if he was focused fully on (Read more...)
Novartis reports $11.5 billion in quarterly sales
Novartis reported net sales of $11.5 billion in the first quarter compared with $11.6 billion in the same quarter of 2016, according to a press release. Net income was reported at $1.7 million, a decrease from $2 million in 2016’s first quarter.
Near vision can be optimized with scleral micro-inserts
Finding a solution to presbyopia, a condition that affects nearly 90 million Americans and 1.7 billion people worldwide, has long been the holy grail in ophthalmology. Most of our current surgical approaches to presbyopia, including monovision LASIK an…
Ziv-aflibercept improves visual acuity, macular thickness in refractory DME
Patients with refractory diabetic macular edema treated with ziv-aflibercept experienced improved visual acuity and macular thickness, with no adverse ocular or systemic side effects reported in the retrospective case series.The case series included 34…
PUBLICATION EXCLUSIVE: Young woman who went blind in one eye presents years later with symptoms in fellow eye
A 21-year-old Hispanic woman presented to the University of New Mexico with a 1-month history of worsening flashes of light and scotomas in her left superior field of vision.Regarding her medical and ocular history, the patient had previously been diagnosed with a “generalized vasculitis.” When she was 14 years old, she developed joint pain in her wrists, ankles and knees. Within a week of the onset of the arthralgias, she also lost vision in the right eye and has since only seen bare light perception in that eye. She was (Read more...)
Senate health care bill takes slower approach to House bill, expert concerns persist
The Senate health care bill, released to the public today, maintains much from the version the House passed May 4, 2017, but presents some key changes such as a slower phase out of Medicaid expansion and funding cost-sharing exchange plans for 2 years.“The most important take away is that both the House and Senate versions make efforts to stabilize the insurance market — the non-employer, individual insurance markets — in various ways,” Kristine Blackwood, from the international law firm Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP, told Healio.com. “There should largely (Read more...)