Responses to Intravitreal Bevacizumab, Ranibizumab & Aflibercept Injections for nAMD Ranibizumab for Vascularized Pigment Epithelial Detachment Efficacy & Safety of Intravitreal Conbercept Injections in ME Secondary to RVO Incidence & Risk Factors for Developing DR Among Juvenile Type 1 & Type 2 Diabetes Comparison of DR Classification Using FA & OCTA Reproducibility of Vessel Density Measurement in Eyes With & Without Retinopathy Via OCTA Novel Findings on OCTA in Tubercular Serpiginous-like Choroiditis Visual Function Correlates of Foveal Slope Changes on OCT in Macular Telangiectasia Type 2 Rate & Risk Factors for Conversion of Fovea-on to Fovea-off RRD in Pre-surgery Cataract Surgery in Children With ROP: Surgical Outcomes |
Novartis' Lucentis Receives EU approval in New Indication Novartis announced that the European Commission granted an additional indication for Lucentis (ranibizumab) to treat individuals with visual impairment due to choroidal neovascularization associated with causes other than neovascular age-related macular degeneration, or secondary to pathologic myopia. With this approval, Lucentis is the first retinal treatment approved for these conditions, which include uveitis, central serous chorioretinopathy, angioid streaks, trauma, retinal or macular dystrophies, and CNV with no apparent cause (idiopathic). Read more. Source: Novartis, December 2016 TSRI Scientists Find Mechanism Behind Anti-VEGF Treatment Side Effects Medication composed of VEGF inhibitors may actually add to the problem in some patients, according to research co-led by scientists at The Scripps Research Institute. The new study in animal models suggests that some therapies for age-related wet macular degeneration may leave the eyes and kidneys of some patients vulnerable to cellular damage by hampering the body’s ability to make a protective molecule called inhibitory complement factor H (CFH). The findings were published Dec. 5 online in the Journal of Clinical Investigation. Scientists in previous studies observed that eye and kidney disease patients frequently had a polymorphism that decreased their ability to produce functional CFH, leaving cells vulnerable to damage. This observation led researchers to study anti-VEGF medication’s connection to side effects in the eyes and the kidneys; the team concluded that vascular endothelial growth factor inhibitors appeared to cause unintended consequences as a result of VEGF inhibition and a reduction in CFH synthesis. In addition, CFH synthesis ceased in the eye’s retinal pigment epithelium cells and glomerulus cells without VEGF. Furthermore, models with the CFH polymorphism were more vulnerable to cellular damage. The researchers also created RPE cells from induced pluripotent stem cells and observed that cells with the CFH mutation responded differently to VEGF inhibition. The researchers believe doctors should take steps to reduce VEGF inhibitor treatments that don’t appear to be working and consider screening patients for the CFH mutation. Read more. Source: The Scripps Research Institute, December 2016 Spark Therapeutics Adds Chief Operating Officer Spark Therapeutics, a company developing gene therapies that address inherited retinal and other diseases, announced the appointment of John Furey to the newly created position of chief operating officer. Furey will be responsible for global commercial operations, medical affairs, technology development and technical operations. He will report to Jeffrey D. Marrazzo, chief executive officer. Read more. Source: Spark Therapeutics, December 2016 Jorn Joins pSivida pSivida Corp. announced that Deb Jorn joined the company as executive vice president of corporate and commercial development, a newly created position reporting directly to Nancy Lurker, pSivida's president and chief executive officer. Jorn's primary responsibilities will be to establish collaborations leveraging pSivida's technologies and finalizing an EU partnership deal for Durasert for glaucoma, a long-term, sustained-release implant delivering latanoprost. Most recently, Jorn was EVP and company chair at Valeant Pharmaceuticals, and previously served as chief marketing officer at Bausch + Lomb. Earlier, she was group VP of Womens' Healthcare and Fertility at Schering Plough. Read more. Source: pSivida Corp., November 2016 ARVO Launches Outreach Campaign The Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology has produced a series of short videos, educational tools and advocacy resources on the discovery and development of optical coherence tomography. The public-friendly videos feature testimonials from patients, clinicians and researchers describing how OCT improves the diagnosis and monitoring of diseases such as glaucoma, macular degeneration, retinopathy of prematurity and diabetic eye disease. Read more. Source: Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology, November 2016 California Debuts Certified Ophthalmic Education Program The University of Southern California Roski Eye Institute will offer the first educational program in California, one of only 14 programs nationwide, to train certified ophthalmic technicians with its Ophthalmic Technician Education Program beginning in January 2017. The USC OTEP will create skilled allied health professionals who guide patients and families on understanding their vision conditions, help ensure compliance with treatment protocols, and conduct various tests and procedures that inform ophthalmologists in the diagnosis and treatments of eye diseases and vision conditions. The 21-month program includes academic coursework as well as clinical setting training from experts at the USC Roski Eye Institute. Read more. Source: USC Roski Eye Institute, December 1, 2016 Dr. Link Joins Allegro Board Allegro Ophthalmics, a biotechnology company focused on the development of novel therapies to treat vitreoretinal diseases, announced that William J. Link, PhD, was elected to Allegro's board of directors. Dr. Link is co-founder and a managing director of Versant Ventures, a global health care investment firm where he specializes in early-stage investing in medical devices. Prior to Versant, Dr. Link was a general partner at Brentwood Venture Capital. With more than two decades of operations experience in the health-care industry, Dr. Link has a proven record of building and managing large, successful medical product companies, including Chiron Vision where he was co-founder, chairman and CEO until it was sold to Bausch + Lomb in 1997. In addition, he founded and served as president of American Medical Optics. Read more. Source: Allegro Ophthalmics, November 2016 Vitreous Gel Could Hold Clues to Visual Impairment Research is underway at the Rochester Institute of Technology that will give scientists a better understanding of the vitreous humor, which could lead to advances in the treatment of vision disorders, drug delivery and eye surgery. The Das National Science Foundation-funded study is exploring properties critical to the function of the vitreous and eye. Researchers are investigating changes in the vitreous gel on structural and mechanical levels that result in vision impairment, and the team will use experimental and theoretical methods to investigate the biophysical origin of vitreous-related pathologies. Read more. Source: Rochester Institute of Technology, November 2016 jCyte Completes Enrollment for Phase I/IIa Safety Trial jCyte completed enrollment in a Phase I/IIa trial to study the safety of its stem cell therapy candidate for retinitis pigmentosa. The trial includes 28 individuals with advanced RP, eight of whom have completed the one-year study. The company’s investigational therapy, jCell, uses injected retinal progenitor cells to rescue dying retinal cells and possibly regenerate new ones. The nonsurgical treatment requires a single intravitreal injection that can be performed in an ophthalmologist’s office under local anesthesia. The ongoing trial is being conducted at the Gavin Herbert Eye Institute at the University of California, Irvine, and Retina Vitreous Associates in Los Angeles, and has received support from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine. As the safety trial winds up, jCyte is planning a Phase IIb trial for a possible start date in 2017. Read more. Source: jCyte, November 2016 Persavita Receives U.S. Patent for Saffron 2020 Eye Health Formula Persavita announced the issue of a United States patent for its flagship natural eye health product, Saffron 2020, a nutritional supplement approved to help maintain eyesight and support eye health in age-related macular degeneration and cataracts. The patent recognizes the benefits for AMD of the combination of saffron and resveratrol. Persavita says Saffron 2020's vegetarian, gluten-free capsules provide optimal levels of important eye-health ingredients, including 20 mg of high-quality saffron. The company says that Saffron is a "super spice" clinically shown to improve vision in patients with dry form of AMD by changing the way genes work together to repair and maintain cells in the retina of the eye. Saffron 2020 also contains resveratrol, a gene-modulating, natural ingredient that helps protect the retina, along with macular carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin, which have been shown to affect visual performance. Read more. Source: Groupe Persavita, November 2016 Compact Navilas Laser System 577s Receives FDA Clearance OD-OS received United States Food and Drug Administration 510(k) clearance and immediate U.S. commercial availability of the Navilas 577s, a compact, all-digital system for navigated focal and peripheral laser treatments. The system enables physicians to digitally pre-plan laser therapy on fundus images as well as external diagnostic images, and precisely execute the therapy plan under computer guidance. It offers focal treatments without a contact lens and infrared illumination, for increased patient comfort. A large field of view and assisted pattern positioning improve speed in panretinal and focal treatments. Read more. Source: OD-OS Inc., November 2016 Ohr Announces Pricing of Public Offering of Common Stock Ohr Pharmaceutical priced a registered public offering of an aggregate of 3,875,000 shares of common stock at a price to the public of $2.00 per share. The total gross proceeds of the offering are expected to be approximately $7,750,000, excluding proceeds from the exercise of the warrants. The company intends to use net proceeds for working capital and other general corporate purposes, including Phase III clinical trials of Squalamine. Source: Ohr Pharmaceutical, December 2016 |
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