Retina Implant AG announced this week that it won reimbursement from Germany’s government health system to cover the company’s flagship Alpha IMS microchip, an implantable device for helping to correct vision in patients with late-stage retinitis pigmentosa (RP).
The reimbursement win is Retina Implant’s 1st in the world, coming from the company’s home country.
"It’s fitting that Germany be the first country to approve reimbursement for the Alpha IMS since this is where the microchip’s journey began nearly 20 years ago," CEO Walter-G Wrobel said in prepared remarks. "Obtaining this reimbursement was a critical next step as we continue our mission to restore vision to patients with RP."
The Alpha IMS device is permanently implanted in the eye beneath the retina, where it simulates healthy nerves cells to partially restore vision to patients with RP. The device won CE Mark approval for the European Union in July 2013.