Ocular Therapeutix (NSDQ:OCUL) revealed yesterday that it plans to cut 26 jobs across the Bedford, Mass.-based company – about 19% of its workforce. The effort to reorganize comes just weeks after the FDA rejected Ocular’s resubmitted new drug application for its hydrogel plug, Dextenza. Get the full story at our sister site, Drug Delivery Business News.
Optical/Ophthalmic
Aerie inks deal for implantable drug-delivery system
Aerie Pharmaceuticals (NSDQ:AERI) said today that it inked a collaborative R&D and licensing agreement with DSM to develop an implantable drug-delivery system for patients with glaucoma and other retinal diseases. DSM has reportedly developed an injectable drug-delivery fiber using polyesteramide polymers that has proven successful in preclinical work with Aerie’s compounds. Get the full story at our sister […]
Second Sight Medical enters Russian market
Second Sight Medical (NSDQ:EYES) said today it entered the Russian market, with the 1st patient treated with its Argus II Retinal Prosthesis System in Moscow. The Argus II induces visual perception in blind patients with retinitis pigmentosa by stimulating of the retina’s remaining cells with electrical pulses, which allows for the perception of light patterns to […]
Kala nabs $104m in IPO
Kala Pharmaceuticals (NSDQ:KALA) said today that it closed its initial public offering of 6.9 million shares of common stock. The Waltham, Mass.-based company priced its public offering at $15.00 per share, granting underwriters an option to buy up to 900,000 additional shares. The exercise of this option brought the proceeds of its IPO up from $90 […]
BioLight’s glaucoma insert succeeds in Phase I/IIa trial
BioLight Life Sciences (TLV:BOLT) touted data today from a Phase I/IIa clinical trial evaluating its Eye-D latanoprost insert. The device successfully lowered intraocular pressure during the study’s 12-week period and had a favorable safety profile, according to the Israel-based company. Get the full story at our sister site, Drug Delivery Business News.
Aerie touts late-stage safety data for Roclatan eye drops
Aerie Pharmaceuticals (NSDQ:AERI) touted 12-month safety data yesterday from the Phase III registration trial of its Roclatan eye drops for intraocular pressure resulting from glaucoma or ocular hypertension. The study was designed to support Aerie’s new drug application submission to the FDA for Roclatan, which it expects to file in the first half of next year. Get […]
Kala Pharmaceuticals prices $90m IPO
Kala Pharmaceuticals (NSDQ:KALA) today priced its initial public offering of 6 million shares of common stock at $15.00 apiece. The IPO is slated to bring in nearly $90 million for the Waltham, Mass.-based company. The offering, which is expected to close on July 25, includes a 30-day option for underwriters to buy up to 900,000 additional shares of […]
Novartis unit Alcon posts modest Q2 gain
(Reuters) — Long-suffering Novartis (NYSE:NVS) unit Alcon‘s sales growth accelerated in the second quarter, boosting options for the business including a possible disposal, CEO Joe Jimenez said today. The eye care subsidiary’s sales rose 1% to $1.5 billion, including intraocular lens revenues, which grew for the first time in the second quarter since 2014. Spending continued […]
Clearside Biomedical launches Phase II diabetic macular edema trial
Clearside Biomedical (NSDQ:CLSD) said today that it enrolled the first patient in a Phase II clinical trial of CLS-TA in patients with diabetic macular edema. The trial plans to evaluate Clearside’s suspension formulation of a corticosteroid, triamcinolone acetonide, as a suprachoroidal injection in combination with an intravitreal injection of Eylea, an anti-VEGF agent. Get the full story at our […]
Beaver-Visitec buys ophthalmic tech dev Vitreq
Beaver-Visitec said today it acquired ophthalmic tech company Vitreq for an undisclosed amount. Netherlands-based Vitreq develops and manufactures ophthalmic devices, with a specific focus on vitreoretinal surgery. The company’s portfolio includes a number of minimally-invasive instruments designed for use in ophthalmological surgical settings, Waltham, Mass.-based Beaver-Visitec said. “At Vitreq, it’s our mission to develop reliable, safe, […]
FDA rejects Ocular’s Dextenza for a second time
Ocular Therapeutix (NSDQ:OCUL) said today that the FDA rejected its resubmission of a new drug application for Dextenza. This is the second time that Ocular has received the FDA’s dreaded complete response letter for Dextenza. In July last year, the FDA denied approval for Ocular’s hydrogel plug after it discovered ‘deficiencies in manufacturing process and controls’ in a pre-new drug […]