Shares in Valeant Pharmaceuticals (NYSE:VRX) rose more than 25% today after the company met earnings expectations on Wall Street, but missed on revenue with its 1st quarter results. The Canada-based company posted profits of $628 million, or $1.79 per share, on sales of $2.11 billion for the 3 months ended March 31, for bottom-line growth […]
Optical/Ophthalmic
Study: pSivida’s Durasert lessens recurrence of uveitis through 12 months
pSivida (NSDQ:PSDV) touted 1-year follow-up data yesterday for the company’s Durasert 3-year treatment of posterior segment uveitis. The data, which was presented at the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology annual meeting, is from pSivida’s 1st phase III trial. The data showed that the 3-year uveitis implant significantly reduced the recurrence of posterior segment uveitis […]
First uveitis patient treated with Eyevensys’ electro-transfection system
Private biotech Eyevensys said today that it treated the 1st patient in a first-in-human phase I/II trial of its lead candidate, EYS606, for the treatment of non-infectious uveitis. The patient was treated in Paris at the Cochin Institute using the company’s EyeCET technology. The EyeCET platform is an electro-transfection injection system that delivers non-viral plasmids to encode […]
Systemic therapy beats Bausch & Lomb implant in NIH uveitis study
Systemic therapy of corticosteroids and immunosuppressants better preserved vision in patients with uveitis compared to Bausch & Lomb‘s long-lasting corticosteroid intraocular implant in a clinical trial supported by the National Eye Institute, a branch of the National Institutes of Health. In 7 years, visual acuity remained stable in patients receiving systemic therapy and declined by […]
Ocular’s Dextenza meets primary endpoints in Phase III trial
Shares in Ocular Therapeutix (NSDQ:OCUL) rose more than 5% today after the company said its Dextenza post-surgical ocular pain relief implant met primary endpoints in the company’s most recent Phase III trial. The hydrogel plug, inserted into a patient’s tear duct, is designed to deliver a sustained dose of dexamethasone over 4 weeks following ophthalmic surgery. […]
Visunex Medical raises $20m Series B for PanoCam neonate eye scanners
Visunex Medical Systems said last week that it raised a $20 million Series B round for its PanoCam line of neonatal eye imaging systems. Fremont, Calif.-based Visunex said the PanoCam line includes the LT and Pro wireless systems and a 3rd system set to debut in June. “The interest in the medical investment community to be part of this funding […]
Glaukos shares tumble despite Q1 beat
Shares in Glaukos (NYSE:GKOS) fell -10% today after the ophthalmic medtech company beat expectations on Wall Street with its 1st quarter results. The San Clemente, Calif.-based company posted profits of $878,000, or 2¢ per share, on sales of $35.9 million for the 3 months ended March 31, for bottom-line loss of -2% on sales growth of […]
Visionary Ventures raises 1st $30m fund for ophthalmic companies
Orange County, Calif.-based ophthalmology Visionary Venture Fund and life sciences accelerator OCTANe said today they closed the fund’s 1st round of financing, raising $30 million. The groups said that the fund will be invested in approximately 12 opthalmology companies over the next 18 months. “Southern California’s ophthalmology companies are leading the global ophthalmology industry and […]
LensGen raises $21m in Series A
Ophthalmic device developer LensGen said today it closed a $21 million Series A financing round to support its Juvene accommodating intraocular lens. The financing round was led by the corporate venture investment arm of Hoya Group and was joined by Relativity Healthcare Partners, the Irvine, Calif.-based company said. “As one of the leading global intraocular […]
Kala touts Phase III data for nanoparticle ophthalmic suspension
Kala Pharmaceuticals touted data today from a Phase III trial of its nanoparticle formulation of loteprednol etabonate as a treatment for inflammation and pain in cataract surgery patients. The KPI-121 1% suspension met both primary efficacy endpoints and secondary endpoints and was well tolerated by the trial’s participants. The Waltham, Mass.-based company’s KPI-121 uses Kala’s mucus-penetrating […]
Bausch & Lomb wins FDA 510(k) for Vitesse open-port vitrectomy system
Valeant Pharmaceuticals (NYSE:VRX, TSE:VRX) subsidiary Bausch & Lomb said today it won FDA 510(k) clearance for its Vitesse hypersonic open port vitrectomy system. The Bridgewater, N.J.-based company touted the newly cleared system as the 1st and only hypersonic 100% open port vitrectomy system, and said it will be exclusively available on the Stellaris Elite vision enhancement […]