Ahead of the ESCRS congress and iNovation day, we go behind the scenes with Ciliatech founder Philippe Sourdille, MD, and president Olivier Benoit
A close-up rendering of a ciliascleral interpositioning device (CID), Ciliatech's Intercil Uveal Spacer.
The Intercil Uveal Spacer recently received a CE mark.
At the end of August, Ciliatech announced that regulatory authorities have issued a CE mark for its novel eye implant, the Intercil Uveal Spacer. The glaucoma device received approval under the European Union’s Medical Device Regulation (MDR). The approval arrived just ahead of the 2025 Congress of the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons (ESCRS) in Copenhagen, Denmark. Ciliatech was selected to showcase its uveal space to top industry professionals at the ESCRS iNovation Day on 12 September. This marks the second time Ciliatech has been invited to participate in iNovation day, an industry symposium; president Olivier Benoit previously presented data at the 2023 ESCRS meeting.
More details on commercialisation throughout the EU, and in the United Kingdom where the device has also received regulatory approval, will be announced in the coming weeks. Benoit indicated the initial commercialisation efforts will be concentrated in the UK and Germany.
In an interview, Philippe Sourdille, MD, co-founder of Ciliatech, and Benoit both shared their reactions to the CE marking and set expectations for the near future of this novel glaucoma management technology. As Dr Sourdille explained, the cilioscleral interpositioning device (CID) increases uveoscleral outflow without penetrating the anterior chamber of the eye. Instead, the device uses the supraciliary space to lower intraocular pressure (IOP) with no bleb and no cleft, and is suitable for primary open-angle glaucoma as well as primary angle-closure glaucoma.1
We provided an in-depth look at the cilioscleral interpositioning device in 2023, as part of our summer issue. Read the article to learn more about the implantation procedure which, in some cases, can take as little as 10 minutes.
“Most [glaucoma surgeries] are ab-interno and frequently combined with lens extraction to reach significant IOP lowering,” Dr Sourdille said. “Our ab-externo approach through scleral incision allows us to address open and narrow angles. IOP lowering is achieved through an increased uveal scleral outflow in a physiological respect of pre-existing anatomy.” Where possible, he added, “We shouldn't add the surgical trauma to the pathology already present in the angle, and the absence of cleft prevents a secondary closure of a cyclodialytic incision with possible IOP spike.” The CID and associated surgical technique are suitable for treating patients with narrow-angle glaucoma, a patient group that has fewer viable treatment options currently on the market.
Dr Sourdille credited feedback from clinicians at in-person meetings, as well as educational symposia, with much of the successful development of the CID. “Facing skepticism is necessary if you want to do anything new," he mused. "Many people told us, at the beginning, that it is not possible to lower the IOP without treating the angle or creating some conjunctival filtration. But we've learned through discussions, at ESCRS and at meetings more specialised in glaucoma, how to optimally incise the sclera and limit surgical trauma."
With that said, the next step in ensuring the CID can reach patients in need is education. Benoit said that surgical trainers, already certified in implantation of the uveal spacer, will be embarking across Europe to educate clinicians. “A doctor cannot use our device freely before undergoing a full certifying training,” Benoit said. “So, at the beginning, we will have a controlled launch. We want to be certain we can answer the demand, but we don’t want to shortcut the training. So we anticipate a slow takeoff.”
Even though there is still more preliminary work to be done, Benoit added, being on the "other side" of the CE mark approval is equal parts thrilling and a relief. "Having the CE mark opens a lot of opportunities. When you come to market, the worst mistake is to think that all the doors will open," he said. "We will have a period of time dedicating attention to specific countries, and a second phase of international deployment."
Luckily, the long-term results of prior clinical trials indicate that patient outcomes are worth the wait.
“We now have more than 3 years of follow-up, and the level of pressure we had [during] year 1 is maintained at year 3 and later,” Dr Sourdille said. “So this is also a very good part of our confidence in the device.” He said that the CID represents a shift in ocular surgery, and that the next 50 years of glaucoma care will be focused on tissue-sparing procedures, and those which cause the least possible trauma to the eye. “Respect the tissues that are pathologic before your surgery, consider new ways of controlling the flow inside the eye without going outside, and [you may maintain] pressures in the low teens for many, many years.
“We really think our device is able to treat more indications than what we are doing today,” he added.
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