Beneficiaries in the U.S. Medicare program have access to several technologies and procedures for treatment of glaucoma, but Medicare administrative contractors (MACs) seem to be looking sideways at some of these offerings. Both Wisconsin Physician Services and Palmetto GBA have floated draft local coverage proposals that deem procedures such as goniotomy and the combination of canaloplasty and trabeculectomy to be investigational, suggesting that claims for these and other services and devices will not be paid by these MACs.
It has been previously demonstrated that IL-17A plays a proinflammatory role in autoimmune diseases, and it has also been reported that IL-17A may take part in the occurrence and development of neurodegenerative disorders. Due to its association with both immunomodulation and inflammation, in a recent study, researchers from Shanghai Jiao Tong University aimed to investigate the role of IL-17A in the pathological process of glaucoma neuropathy.
A collaboration between Aegis Ventures LLC and Northwell Holdings invested $12 million to launch New York-based Optain Inc., an artificial intelligence company created to enable early identification and disease prevention through retinal imaging. Retinal imaging is well known for identifying eye diseases including diabetic retinopathy, age-related macular degermation and glaucoma, but it can also provide insight into cardiovascular and neurological conditions.
Mediwhale Inc. closed a $9 million series A round that will see the company take its artificial intelligence (AI)-powered retina scans to prevent heart and kidney diseases to the U.S. market.
Ciliatech SAS secured $3.87 million in series A funding to continue developing its second-generation implant to treat open-angle glaucoma. This round was led by its historical shareholders, including BNP Development SAS, Kreaxi SAS and individual investor Bernard Chauvin. “With this additional money, we can continue clinical trials to obtain the CE mark,” Olivier Benoit, co-founder and CEO of Ciliatech SAS told BioWorld.
Perfuse Therapeutics Inc. has received FDA approval of its IND application for a first-in-human phase I/IIa study of PER-001 intravitreal implant in patients with glaucoma.
Ciliatech SAS reported positive news for people suffering from glaucoma who want to avoid the complications that come with using existing glaucoma procedures. Results from the SAFARI 1 clinical trial, using its first-generation cilio-scleral inter-positioning device (CID) implant in patients with open angle glaucoma, showed marked stability of intraocular pressure (IOP), along with a significantly reduced need for glaucoma medication 24 months on from surgery.
Eyenuk Inc. is significantly extending the scope of its artificial intelligence system for the automatic analysis of retinal images, adding the diagnosis of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and glaucoma to the EU approved uses of Eyeart AI.
Thirona BV spun out its retina division into a stand-alone business, Thirona Retina BV, focused exclusively on the eye disease market, effective Jan. 1, 2023. The development comes after the recent expansion of Retcad, Thirona’s flagship solution for eye disease screening. Thirona BV will continue to develop artificial intelligence (AI)-driven systems for precision medicine in lung disease.
