EyeD Pharma Raises $51 Million to Advance Intraocular Drug Implants

Belgium-based EyeD Pharma announced Dec. 22 that it had raised €45 million (US $51 million) in a funding round backed by a mix of private and public investors. The company said the funding would allow it to advance its lead candidate TimoD into human trials. TimoD is a non-biodegradable intraocular implant designed to deliver a controlled dose of the glaucoma drug …

Belkin Vision to Receive €17.5M Grant from European Innovation Council

Belkin Vision announced that it has received €17.5M of blended financing in grants and equity from the European Innovation Council Accelerator (EIC). Belkin Vision’s glaucoma laser is currently in the final stages of clinical trials across the UK and Europe, and if approved, would be the first and only contactless laser treatment for glaucoma, according to a company news release.

Nicox Raises $16.9 Million in Private Placement

French company Nicox announced Dec. 9 that it had raised €15 million (US $16.9 million) through a private placement of 6 million new ordinary shares. Warrants issued in the private placement could provide an additional €16.4 million (US $18.5 million) in gross proceeds if they were to be fully exercised, Nicox said.

Alcon Acquires Ivantis for $475 Million, Plus Potential Milestone Payments

Alcon has bolstered its glaucoma surgical device portfolio with the acquisition of Ivantis and its Hydrus Microstent. Alcon, a Switzerland-registered company with US headquarters in Texas, announced Nov. 8 that it would pay $475 million up front, plus potential milestone payments, for Ivantis, of Irvine, California. The transaction is expected to close in Q1-2022.

Visus Unveils Additional Ophthalmic Drug Candidates for Corneal Wound Healing, Glaucoma and AMD

During its inaugural Capital Markets Day in New York City, Visus Therapeutics unveiled additional ophthalmic drug candidates with applications in development for corneal wound healing, glaucoma and age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Additionally, the company introduced a novel drug delivery platform licensed from DelSiTech that has the potential to help optimize the clinical benefit of ophthalmic therapies.

Sustained-release glaucoma therapies on the horizon

The need for sustained-release glaucoma therapies is clear to anyone caring for patients with the disease. Our conventional topical therapies have a number of toxic effects on the external ocular tissues. There are physical and medical limitations to eye drop instillation in our generally older patient population. The time and scheduling demands of drop instillation and pharmacy visits are intensive. …

Glaukos Submits Supplemental Pre-Market Approval Application for iStent Infinite

Glaukos announced that it has submitted a supplemental pre-market approval (PMA) application to the FDA for the iStent infinite Trabecular Micro-Bypass System. The iStent infinite is an investigational device designed for use in a standalone procedure to reduce elevated IOP in patients with open-angle glaucoma uncontrolled by prior surgical or medical therapy. It includes three heparin-coated titanium stents preloaded into an auto-injection system that allows the …

iStent inject safe, efficacious in open-angle glaucoma

The iStent inject was safe and effective for treating multiple types of primary open-angle glaucoma individually and in conjunction with cataract surgery, according to data published in Journal of Cataract and Refractive Surgery.

Cataract surgery lowers IOP, medication use

Patients with ocular hypertension may benefit from cataract surgery, according to findings published in the American Journal of Ophthalmology.“Studies suggest that cataract surgery lowers IOP, and that this reduction is generally proportional to presurgical IOP. As well, several papers report a decrease in ocular hypotensive medications with cataract surgery,” Steven L. Mansberger, MD, MPH, ophthalmologist at Legacy Health in Portland, …