Retina Implant said today that it won CE Mark approval in the European Union for the latest iteration of its subretinal implant for patients blinded by retinitis pigmentosa. The Alpha AMS is the next-generation version of the Alpha IMS, which won CE Mark approval back in July 2013. The Reutlingen, Germany-based company said the new device increases the number […]
Retina Implant AG
Retina Implant drums up $28m
Retina Implant said this week that it raised $28.2 million (€26 million) in private equity funding for its Alpha IMS device, which is designed to treat blind patients with retinitis pigmentosa. The round including contributions from new and existing backers, the Reutlingen, Germany-based company said. The proceeds are earmarked for new clinical centers and winning reimbursement in […]
Study: Retina Implant’s chip restores vision in blind patients
Retina Implant AG, which is developing subretinal implants for patients blinded by retinitis pigmentosa, said a new study published in Vision Research shows positive results in patients treated with its Alpha IMS subretinal microchip. More than 86% of patients implanted with the device experienced improved ability to detect light and identify specific light sources, the […]
Retina Implant wins German reimbursement for vision-correcting microchip
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.
Vision: Retina Implant AG wins E.U. approval for sight-restoring microchip
European healthcare regulators this month granted CE Mark approval to Retina Implant AG’s Alpha IMS, a tiny eye implant that restores "useful" vision in patients blinded by retinitis pigmentosa.
Reutlingen, Germany-based Retina Implant AG, founded in 2003 from a German research institute spinout, touts the technology as "artificial sight." The Alpha IMS chip is implanted beneath the retina, where it sends electrical impulses to the brain to help restore visual capacity.
If you build a stent lab, they will come | MassDevice.com On Call
MASSDEVICE ON CALL — A study of cardiac procedures in Michigan reveals a disrepancy between treatments, with areas hosting higher concentrations of catheterization labs performing more – and more expensive – stenting procedures than in areas with fewer labs.
In short, if you build a cath lab, they will come.
Diabetes: Medtronic wins clearance for next-gen clinical continuous glucose monitor | Regulatory Roundup
Medtronic Inc. (NYSE:MDT) won FDA clearance for its next generation iPro2 Professional continuous glucose monitor.
The iPro2 Professional is a clinician-owned device that collects glucose data from a sensor inserted into a patient’s skin.
The device tracks the patient’s glucose levels for 3 days, collecting data as many as 288 times each day. The information may provide insight into how diet, medication and daily activities affect a patient’s glucose levels.
Retina Implant touts findings on permanent eye implants | Research roundup
New data on patients implanted with a microchip designed to restore eyesight indicates that the device improved their vision enough to have an impact on their daily lives.
Retina Implant AG, the maker of a subrential implant designed to restore vision in people suffering from retinitus pigmentosa, said initial findings from the company’s second clinical trial showed that the first seven patients permanently implanted with the company’s device experienced restored useful visual function that enabled them to improve activities of daily living.
Topera Medical hires former Boston Scientific VP, opens Beantown HQ
MASSDEVICE ON CALL — Topera Medical, a once-stealthy medical device start-up formerly based in San Diego, hired a former Boston Scientific Corp. (NYSE:BSX) vice president and moved clear across the country.
The firm, now based in Lexington, Mass., is looking to commercialize technology developed by Dr. Sanjiv Narayan at the University of California, San Diego. It hired former Boston Scientific VP Edward Kerslake to be its CEO in December 2010, according to Xconomy.
Retina Implant closes $18 million round | Funding roundup
Sub-retinal prosthesis developer Retina Implant AG raised $18 million in venture capital funding.
The company’s sub-retinal implant is comprised of a microchip that’s inserted into the eye to restore vision for people suffering from retinitis pigmentosa, a retinal degeneration disorder.
MassDevice Podcast: Retina Implant CEO Walter Wrobel
Restoring vision to the blind is the sort of feat reserved for ancient religious texts and modern science fiction novels. But a company in Germany did just that with an eye implant.
Retina Implant AG is in the process of developing a sub-Retina Implant, designed to be inserted into the eye to treat back-of-the-eye disorders. A first clinical trial showed that the device can enable people suffering from a certain type of macular degeneration to see. The patients had retinitus pigmentosa, an inherited and incurable degenerative condition that causes tunnel vision and often, eventually, complete blindness. Retina Implant estimates that the condition affects about 200,000 people in the U.S. and Europe.
