Ophthalmology company Polyactiva Pty Ltd.’s biodegradable ocular implant provides six months of sustained drug delivery for patients with glaucoma and is the first biodegradable ocular implant that has the potential to be used safely for repeat dosing, Polyactiva CEO Vanessa Waddell told BioWorld.
Galimedix Therapeutics Inc. plans to move its lead compound, GAL-101, into a phase IIa proof-of-concept trial next year, in order to test an intriguing hypothesis associated with certain retinal degeneration conditions. GAL-101 selectively binds misfolded amyloid beta species, and the company believes that this mechanism may benefit patients with the dry form of age-related macular degeneration or with glaucoma.
Santen Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. is selling its North American branded ophthalmic portfolio to Visiox Pharma LLC and Harrow Health Inc. in a move to make its global organization as competitive as possible, Santen told BioWorld.
Santen Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. is selling its North American branded ophthalmic portfolio to Visiox Pharma LLC and Harrow Health Inc. in a move to make its global organization as competitive as possible, Santen told BioWorld.
Ilasis Laser SAS said it raised $4.8 million to finance commercial development in Europe of its femtolaser surgical instrument, Rx. A group made up of French business angels, Irdi Capital investment SAS, and Nouvelle Aquitaine Coinvestiment SAS (NACO) were involved in this funding round.
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.
