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Ocular Therapeutix lands reimbursement code for eye plugs

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Ocular Therapeutix lands reimbursement code for eye plugs

Ocular Therapeutix said it landed a reimbursement code for the insertion of the drug-eluting eye plugs it’s developing to treat glaucoma.

Bedford, mass.-based Ocular Therapeutix said the American Medical Assn. issued a CPT code "for the insertion of a drug-eluting implant, including punctal dilation and implant removal when performed, into the lacrimal canaliculus."

The company is running clinical trials for 2 versions of the plug, 1 using the drug dexamethasone to treat post-surgical inflammation and another using the drug travoprost for glaucoma or ocular hypertension, according to a press release.

"The new code could be used in clinical trials to establish use, and will provide a mechanism for reimbursement for insertion of these intracanalicular plugs, following Food & Drug Administration approval," according to the release.

"Obtaining the CPT code for insertion of our drug-eluting plugs is an important step in the reimbursement process as we begin planning for the introduction of our sustained drug-delivery platform technology," president & CEO Amar Sawhney said in prepared remarks.

The plugs are designed for sustained delivery of their drug payload over a set period of time, after which their polyethylene glycol hydrogel material is designed to dissolve. The 60-patient Phase II study of the plug designed to treat inflammation compared it with a placebo. Last October Ocular Tx reported positive results from that trial.

Ocular Therapeutix won pre-market approval from the FDA for its ReSure sealant for surgical eye incisions in January.

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