Lensar Inc. today filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, saying it needs to reduce its debt and strengthen its balance sheet and platform for future growth. The Orlando, Fl.-based company was supported by its senior secured lender, PDL BioParhma Inc. In December 2015, healthcare and social commerce company Alphaeon bought the laser cataract treatment company for […]
Optical/Ophthalmic
Glaukos touts IOP reduction in pseudophakic iStent study
Glaukos (NYSE:GKOS) today released data from a study of its iStent trabecular micro-bypass stent, touting reduced intraocular pressure when implanted in pseudophakic eyes with open-angle glaucoma. Data from the study was recently published in the Journal of Glaucoma, the Laguna Hills, Calif.-based company said. Glaukos’ iStent micro-bypass stents are made from non-ferromagnetic titanium and coated in […]
Mylan, Allergan launch fight over Restasis eye drop patents
Allergan (NYSE:AGN) said this week that it will “vigorously defend” the patents for its Restasis eye drops, after the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s Patent Trial and Appeal Board agreed to an inter partes review of 6 patents as requested by generic competitor Mylan (NSDQ:MYL). The patents are valid until August 2024. “Allergan is disappointed in […]
Aerie completes enrollment of phase III trial for intraocular pressure eye drops
Aerie Pharmaceuticals (NSDQ:AERI) said today that it completed enrollment for its 2nd phase III registration trial, Mercury 2, evaluating its Roclatan once-daily eye drops for intraocular pressure resulting from glaucoma or ocular hypertension. The company’s Roclatan solution is a fixed dose combination of its drug Rhopressa (netarsudil ophthalmic solution) and latanoprost, a widely prescribed prostaglandin […]
OCUL registers for $40m stock sale
Ocular Therapeutix (NSDQ:OCUL) is looking to raise $40 million through a public stock offering, according to a prospectus filed with the federal Securities & Exchange Commission this week. The Bedford, Mass.-based company said it inked a controlled equity offering sales agreement with Cantor Fitzgerald & Co., and agreed to pay Cantor Fitzgerald commissions of up to 3% […]
FDA clears Allergan’s Xen gel stent for glaucoma
Allergan (NYSE:AGN) said today that it won FDA approval for its Xen gel stent and injector for glaucoma. The federal watchdog indicated the drug device for the management of refractory glaucoma, in cases where surgical treatment has failed or in patients with open angle glaucoma that is unresponsive to maximum tolerated medical therapy. The Dublin-based […]
Novartis backs off from 2016 date for testing Google autofocus lens
Novartis (NYSE:NVS) is reportedly backing off a 2016 start date to test its autofocusing contact lens in clinical trials, but it told Reuters that the product is “progressing steadily” in its collaboration with Google (NSDQ:GOOGL). In 2014, CEO Joe Jimenez said he hoped the lens would be on the market in 5 years and last year he said his […]
Clearside Biomedical launches trial for Zuprata
Clearside Biomedical (NSDQ:CLSD) said today that it enrolled the 1st patient in clinical trial of its suspension formulation of corticosteroid triamcinolone acetonide, Zuprata, for the treatment of diabetic macular edema. The Alpharetta, Ga.-based company’s Hulk Phase I/II trial is an open-label, multi-center study designed to evaluate the safety and efficacy Zuprata administered in the suprachoroidal space […]
OCUL’s Dextenza meets endpoints in pivotal study
Ocular Therapeutix (NSDQ:OCUL) said today that its post-surgical ocular pain reliever, Dextenza, met both primary endpoints in a pivotal trial for the treatment of post-surgical ocular inflammation and pain. The product is a bioresorbable intracanalicular insert, designed for drug release to the ocular surface for up to 30 days. The randomized, double-masked study enrolled 438 patients who were […]
ReVision Optics raises $32m for Raindrop nearsightedness inlay
ReVision Optics said today that it raised $32 million in an equity round to back the commercialization of its Raindrop near-vision inlay. Existing backers Canaan Partners, Domain Associates, InterWest Partners and ProQuest Investments also participated in the round, Lake Forest, Calif.-based ReVision said. The Raindrop inlay, which won pre-market approval from the FDA in June, is a […]
Clearside tops Q3 estimates, posts license revenue
Shares in Clearside Biomedical (NSDQ:CLSD) rose today after the biopharmaceutical company met expectations on Wall Street with its 3rd quarter results. The Alpharetta, Ga.-based company posted losses of -$5.6 million, or -28¢ per share, on sales of $5,000 for the 3 months ended Sept. 30. This is the 1st quarter that Clearside has reported revenue. Get the full story […]