Articles

Allergan pulled up by FDA; AMO makes a move on B&L; Opko snags Ophthalmic Technologies; Alcon sets its sights on WaveLight; B&L to sue Alcon; Ellex launches SLT website

It's that time of year again and it seems like only yesterday when we were gearing up for the annual congress of the ESCRS in London. Now the European society is taking us to the Swedish capital city, Stockholm, for its annual event.

Bevacizumab: less effective against larger lesions; New supranational European society; Happy 50th birthday SOE; Blue-blocking IOLs damage health; 3-D test identifies early stage glaucoma; A new way of tackling ROP; Femtosecond not always appropriate; High pulse pressure linked to OAG; Stem cell project to cure AMD underway; OCT increasingly popular for anti-VEGF monitoring; Glaucoma nano-treatment on the horizon; Lucky for some: the 13th LCA gene; Community optometrists able to diagnose glaucoma accurately; Coffee may prevent blepharospasm

The practice of treating angle closure glaucoma (ACG) varies widely across the United Kingdom, according to a poster presented at the 8th congress of the European Glaucoma Society (EGS), held June 1–6 in Berlin.

Sirion Therapeutics has initiated two new Phase III clinical studies for two of its pipeline compounds, ST-601 (difluprednate) and ST-603 (cyclosporine).

The British intraocular lens (IOL) manufacturer, Rayner Intraocular Lenses, has received pre-market approval (PMA) for its C-flex lens from the FDA making it the first non-US IOL to receive FDA approval in twenty years.

Ellex Medical Lasers has received FDA 510(k) approval to market the Ellex 30XL laser slit lamp.

Novagali Pharma's Investigational New Drug Application (IND) to conduct a pivotal Phase III clinical trial of its dry eye candidate, Nova22007, has been granted by the FDA.

QLT has announced that the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) will recommend to the European Commission that the occult indication for Visudyne be removed from the product's European label.

ISTA Pharmaceuticals has withdrawn its marketing authorization application for Vitragen.

Medennium has obtained CE mark clearance to market its photochromic intraocular lens (IOL), Aurium in Europe, making it the first lens of its kind to be introduced to the cataract lens market.

The US FDA has approved wavefront-guided and mixed astigmatism indications for WaveLight's Allegretto Wave Eye-Q system.

Neurotech Pharmaceuticals has begun enrolment for two Phase II/III clinical trials of NT-501; it's lead Encapsulated Cell Technology (ECT) product for the treatment for retinitis pigmentosa (RP).

Alimera Sciences has announced that enrolment for its Phase III global clinical trial, FAME (Fluocinolone Acetonide in Diabetic Macular Edema), has exceeded 50%.

CoMentis (formerly Athenagen) has initiated a Phase II trial of ATG3, a topical eye drop therapy for the treatment of neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

The FDA has approved InSite Vision's New Drug Application (NDA) for AzaSite (azithromycin 1%) for the treatment of bacterial conjunctivitis.

ISTA Pharmaceuticals has received a not approvable letter from the FDA relating to its New Drug Application (NDA) for T-Pred (prednisolone acetate 1.0% and tobramycin 0.3% ophthalmic suspension).

Aspheric-based treatments with the SCHWIND ESIRIS excimer laser and ORK-CAM software offer high predictability, increases in visual acuity (VA) and no induction of aberrations.

Therapeutic interventions, in particular for neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD) offer a better degree of value than any other treatment right across the field of healthcare.

Cup-to-disc ratios and visual field evaluations using telemedicine-friendly devices are the most useful tools for glaucoma screening.

Carl Zeiss Meditec has united its sales and marketing activities in Germany.

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a useful tool for determining when re-treatments with ranibizumab are required in patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is an effective screening tool for wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

The sutureless method of transplantation of fibrin glue-coated, freeze-dried amniotic membrane (FCFD-AM) is both safe and straightforward.

Ophthalmic solutions that contain steroids are 5.8 times more likely to be contaminated than steroid-free solutions.

A Phase I/II clinical trial has been initiated to evaluate an innovative gene therapy in patients with progressive deterioration in vision caused by an abnormality in the RPE65 gene.

AMO has launched an online series featuring US TV star Kristin Cavallari.

Patients who are repeatedly treated with bevacizumab (Avastin) for choroidal neovascularization (CNV) experience visual improvements similar to patients who received their first treatment with the drug.

Ellex Medical Lasers has received FDA 510(k) approval to market the Ellex 30XL laser slit lamp.

It is an accepted fact that people in the UK have one of the poorest diets in Europe; with the consumption of poor-quality, low-priced foods, along with lack of exercise fuelling the rise in obesity amongst many other diseases.