Ocular Therapeutix announced enrollment of the first patients in a phase 3 clinical trial to evaluate the safety and efficacy of Dextenza (sustained-release dexamethasone, 0.4 mg) for the treatment of allergic conjunctivitis, according to a company new…
Category: Refractive
Imprimis Acquires Proprietary Compounded Conscious Sedation Formulations
Imprimis Pharmaceuticals has acquired the rights to novel proprietary sedation and analgesia/anesthesia formulations that are administered sublingually to block pain and sedate patients undergoing ocular and other surgical procedures, according to a ne…
Ophthalmic Pioneer Robert Sinskey, MD, Passes Away
“True happiness is not a feat lightly achieved, but I can honestly say that through my adventures, experiences, and relationships — thick and thin — I have found it.”
— A Life in Focus, Robert M. Sinskey, MD
World-renowned cataract surgeon Robe…
Increased Calcium Consumption Linked to Prevalence of AMD
Patients who reported higher than usual supplementary calcium consumption were at higher risk of developing age-related macular degeneration (AMD), according to research published in JAMA Ophthalmology.1
Researchers reviewed data from participants (…
CDC Report: Severe Vision Loss Linked to Poverty, Southern Geography
Rates of severe vision loss (SVL) are linked to poverty rates and a southern geographic location, according to a Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report issued by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).1
The CDC analyzed data from the…
QLT to Acquire InSite Vision in All-Stock Deal
QLT has signed a definitive agreement to buy InSite Vision for $0.178 per share in an all-stock deal. QLT says the merger will create a diversified, pure-play, late-stage ophthalmic pharmaceutical company well equipped to advance QLT’s existing phase 3…
Alcon Receives European Approval for New Trifocal IOL
Alcon has received CE Mark approval in Europe for its AcrySof IQ PanOptix trifocal IOL, according to a company news release (product not available in the United States). The IOL is indicated for adult patients with and without presbyopia undergoing cat…
Allergan to Acquire Aesthetic Drug Maker for $2.1 Billion
Allergan and Kythera Biopharmaceuticals, a company focused on the discovery, development, and commercialization of novel prescription products for the aesthetic medicine market, announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement under which A…
Link Between Dietary Zeaxanthin Consumption and Improved Reaction Time Shown
Hitting a 95-mph fastball is said to be the hardest thing to do in sports, but a study published in PLoS One shows that a key nutrient may make that fastball seem a little slower, according to a news release from ZeaVision.1 The study by the University…
GrayBug Raises $1.74 Million in Series A2 Financing
GrayBug, a privately held pharmaceutical company developing drug-delivery therapies and sustained-release compounds for the treatment of eye diseases, announced the closing of a $1.74-million Series A2 financing round led by new investor Hatteras Ventu…
Nightstar Receives Orphan Drug Designation for Gene Therapy to Treat Choroideremia
Nightstar has received FDA and European Medicines Agency Orphan Drug Designation for its gene therapy to treat choroideremia, an X-linked recessive disorder that leads to progressive blindness, according to a company news release.
Orphan Drug Design…
Imprimis and Cleveland Eye Clinic Announce Results of Lessdrops Formulation
Imprimis Pharmaceuticals and Cleveland Eye Clinic announced positive results of an investigator-initiated evaluation validating the use of Imprimis’ proprietary combination topical formulations for patients post-LASIK surgery, according to a company news release.
The evaluation of Imprimis’ proprietary Tri-Moxi (tr…
Actavis Announces Intention to Adopt “Allergan” Corporate Name
Actavis Announces Intention to Adopt “Allergan” Corporate Name
Actavis announced that following the completion of the acquisition of Allergan, it intends to use the Allergan name as its corporate name and for its global branded pharmaceutical portfolio. It will retain the Actavis name for select geographic regio…
Valeant To Acquire Salix Pharmaceuticals in a Deal Worth About $14.5 Billion
Valeant To Acquire Salix Pharmaceuticals in a Deal Worth About $14.5 Billion
Valeant Pharmaceuticals International and Salix Pharmaceuticals announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement under which Valeant will acquire all of the…
FDA Advisory Panel Recommends Approval of Avedro’s CXL Platform
A joint FDA advisory panel recommended approval of Avedro’s combined riboflavin ophthalmic solutions and ultraviolet (UV) light irradiation for corneal collagen cross-linking. The recommendation is the last step before the FDA renders a decision on March 29.
The FDA’s Dermatologic and Ophthalmic Drugs Advisory…
Protocol T Comparing Three DME Agents Released
Protocol T Comparing Three DME Agents Released
A major government-sponsored study shows that intravitreous aflibercept (Eylea; Regeneron), bevacizumab (Avastin; Genentech), and ranibizumab (Lucentis; Genentech) were effective and safe treatments f…
Stem Cells From Wisdom Teeth Can Be Transformed Into Corneal Cells
Stem Cells From Wisdom Teeth Can Be Transformed Into Corneal Cells
Stem cells from the dental pulp of wisdom teeth can be turned into cells of the eye’s cornea and could one day be used to repair corneal scarring due to infection or injury, according to researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine….
Erratum
Erratum
CRST regrets the misspelling of Verus (Mile High Ophthalmics) in the sidebar A Silicone Ring for Capsulotomy Creation by Robert J. Cionni, MD, that appeared in our November/December 2014 edition.
…
Catalys Precision Laser System to Be Used in French Clinical Trial
OptiMedica Corporation announced that it has
been awarded a tender for five Catalys Precision Laser
Systems for use in a French multicenter randomized
clinical study.
The study, which is sponsored by Centre Hospitalier
Universitaire de Bordeaux, Franc…
Combined ECP and Phaco Reduced IOP in Eyes With Mild to Moderate Glaucoma
Combined endocyclophotocoagulation (ECP) and
phacoemulsification significantly reduced IOP in
patients with mild to moderate glaucoma, according
to data presented by Michael J. Siegel, MD, and colleagues
at the Association for Research in Vision …