Latest Industry News & Trends
Market Scope provides comprehensive coverage of the ophthalmic market. Our news stories are a combination of public and proprietary content ranging from coverage of international meetings, surgeon survey results and trends, analysis of company financial reports and public medical registries, press releases, and interviews with executives. Register today to receive free weekly email updates, our top data chart, surgeon poll results, and much more. Locked content can be accessed through a subscription to our ophthalmic industry newsletters.
Deals News
Visus Merges with Tenpoint, Will Advance Brimochol Once-Daily Presbyopia Drop Candidate
Visus Therapeutics and Tenpoint Therapeutics announced Dec. 12 the completion of a merger, with plans to advance Visus’ Brimochol PF, a once-daily eye drop candidate for presbyopia. The combined co...
Nicox Reports First Sale of Zerviate in China by Partner Ocumension
France’s Nicox reported Dec. 4 that its partner Ocumension Therapeutics had made the first commercial sale of Zerviate (cetirizine ophthalmic solution) 0.24% in China. Zerviate is indicated for ocu...
Bausch + Lomb Acquires Elios Vision, Developer of Excimer Laser Trabeculostomy
Bausch + Lomb announced Dec. 11 that an affiliate had acquired Elios Vision, developer of the Elios excimer laser trabeculostomy procedure for glaucoma. No financial details were disclosed. Elios’ ...
Topcon Weighing Takeover Bids from Private Equity Firms, Bloomberg Reports
Topcon is considering takeover bids from suitors including the private equity firms KKR & Co. and EQT AB, according to a report Dec. 10 from financial news outlet Bloomberg. The Tokyo-based ophthal...
Arctic Vision Licenses Chinese Rights for Xipere to Santen for $85 Million
Clearside Biomedical’s Asia-Pacific partner, Arctic Vision, announced Nov. 7 that it had licensed Chinese commercialization rights for ARVN001, marketed in the US as Xipere, to Santen Pharmaceutica...
Emerging Companies Pursuing Ophthalmic Indications, December 2024
Market Scope is tracking companies that have announced new candidates to diagnose and treat eye disease.
December 2024 Ophthalmic News Briefs
Dutch company Ophtec announced Nov. 18 that it had gained CE marking for its Artiplus phakic IOL. The company said the lens offered a solution for relatively young presbyopes, typically in their ea...
Bausch + Lomb Acquires Elios Vision, Developer of Excimer Laser Trabeculostomy
Bausch + Lomb announced Dec. 11 that an affiliate had acquired Elios Vision, developer of the Elios excimer laser trabeculostomy procedure for glaucoma. No financial details were disclosed. Elios’ ...
Topcon Weighing Takeover Bids from Private Equity Firms, Bloomberg Reports
Topcon is considering takeover bids from suitors, including the private equity firms KKR & Co. and EQT AB, according to a report Dec. 10 from financial news outlet Bloomberg. The Tokyo-based ophtha...
Medvisis to Market Clobetasol Drops in Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Under License with Formosa
Swiss company Medvisis has obtained exclusive rights to market clobetasol propionate eye drops in Switzerland and Liechtenstein for inflammation and pain following ocular surgery under a license ag...
Avant, Ainnova Advancing Low-Cost Retinal Camera with AI Screening Software
Nevada-based Avant Technologies and Ainnova Tech, of Houston, Texas, announced Nov. 20 that the two companies would advance Ainnova’s proprietary low-cost retinal camera packaged with the Vision AI...
Atsena Licenses LCA1 Gene Therapy Candidate to Nippon Shinyaku for US, Japan
Atsena Therapeutics announced Nov. 13 that it had granted exclusive commercial rights for its Leber congenital amaurosis type 1 (LCA1) gene therapy candidate ATSN-101 to Nippon Shinyaku in the US a...
Kalaris Will Merge with AlloVir and Advance Candidate for Exudative Retinal Disease
Kalaris Therapeutics announced Nov. 8 that it would merge with biotech company AlloVir in an all-stock transaction to advance Kalaris’ next-generation anti-VEGF candidate TH103 for exudative retina...
Advancium Signs Option to License Retinoblastoma Candidate from Aileron
Aileron Therapeutics and Advancium Health Network announced Oct. 31 an exclusive option agreement for Advancium to acquire ALRN-6924, a clinical-stage oncology agent developed by Aileron prior to i...
Arctic Vision Licenses Chinese Rights for Xipere to Santen for $85 Million
Clearside Biomedical’s Asia-Pacific partner, Arctic Vision, announced Nov. 7 that it had licensed Chinese commercialization rights for ARVN001, marketed in the US as Xipere, to Santen Pharmaceutica...
Ophthalmology Continues to Draw Investors, Eyecelerator Meeting Shows; Retina Stands Out
Ophthalmology remains an appealing investment, driven largely by procedural growth. While hundreds of companies are working toward technology enhancements and innovative therapies, ophthalmology pr...
EyePoint Leads Latest Ophthalmic Fundraising with $161 Million Public Offering
EyePoint Pharmaceuticals led recent ophthalmic fundraising efforts with a $161 million upsized underwritten public offering. Proceeds in part will fund clinical development of Duravyu. Financing an...
The New Opus Genetics Charts a Course to Gene Therapy Approval
Ben Yerxa, PhD, and George Magrath, MD, say they have a way out of the jungle in which ocular gene therapy development has been trapped since the US FDA approved Luxturna in 2017. “You have to be r...
NovaBay Accepts Higher Offer from PRN to Purchase Assets
NovaBay reported Nov. 6 that it had accepted a higher offer from PRN Physician Recommended Nutriceuticals, LLC, which revised its bid for NovaBay’s Avenova product line after a competing overture f...
November 2024 Ophthalmic News Briefs
Heidelberg Engineering announced Oct. 14 that the US FDA had granted 510(k) clearance to its Flex Module for the Spectralis diagnostic imaging platform. The Flex Module mounts the Spectralis to a m...
NovaBay Accepts Higher Offer from PRN to Purchase Assets
NovaBay reported Nov. 6 that it had accepted a higher offer from PRN Physician Recommended Nutriceuticals, LLC, which revised its bid for NovaBay’s Avenova product line after a competing overture f...
DÁVI Licenses Clobetasol Propionate Post-op Drops from Formosa for Portugal
Taiwan-based Formosa Pharmaceuticals announced Oct. 31 that it had entered into an exclusive licensing agreement with DÁVI Farmacêutica, of Portugal, for the rights there to market clobetasol propi...
NovaBay Receives Higher Asset Purchase Bid from RVL-Affiliated Company
NovaBay reported Oct. 29 that it had received a better offer for its assets than the one it had accepted from PRN Physician Recommended Nutriceuticals, LLC. NovaBay’s board determined that the unso...
Korean Companies GC Biopharma, Novelty Nobility to Collaborate on GA Drug Discovery
South Korean companies GC Biopharma and Novelty Nobility announced Oct. 28 that they would jointly research and develop a novel treatment candidate for geographic atrophy (GA). The companies said a...
Ocuphire Pharma Acquires Opus Genetics, Will Operate Under Opus Name
Ocuphire Pharma announced Oct. 22 that it would acquire Opus Genetics in an all-stock transaction. The combined company will operate under the Opus name and will trade on the Nasdaq under the ticke...
Grifols, BARDA Partner on Ocular Immunoglobulin Drops for Sulfur Mustard Exposure
Barcelona-basedGrifols reported Oct. 22 that it is partnering with the US government’s BARDA to test ocular surface immunoglobulin (OSIG) eye drops for their ability to treat ocular damage from sul...
Orasis Licenses Qlosi Presbyopia Drops to Optus in Korea for $18 Million, Plus Royalties
Orasis Pharmaceuticals announced Oct. 16 that it had licensed its Qlosi presbyopia drops to Optus Pharmaceuticals for the Korean market. Under the deal, Optus will pay upfront and milestone payment...
Nicox and Soleus Sign $16.5 Million Deal for Vyzulta Royalties, Equity Financing
France’s Nicox announced Oct. 14 a deal with Soleus Capital under which Soleus will acquire Nicox’ royalties from the glaucoma treatment Vyzulta for $15 million, while providing $1.5 million in equ...
Orasis Leads Latest Ophthalmic Deals with $78 Million Financing
Orasis Pharmaceuticals led recent ophthalmic fundraising efforts with $78 million in Series D and structured capital to support the launch of Qlosi drops for presbyopia. Financing announced in the ...
Investors Take Temperature of Ophthalmic Market at European Futures Forum
The 2024 Ophthalmology Futures European Forum reviewed the decline in ophthalmic deals in 2024 before offering presenting companies some guidance on how to advance their technology in such an envir...
October 2024 Ophthalmic News Briefs
Oculus has announced the addition of frequency doubling perimetry (FDP) to its Easyfield VR visual field diagnostic headset. The German ophthalmic diagnostic company, with US headquarters in Arling...
NovaBay to Sell Avenova Products for $9.5 Million as Part of Dissolution Plan
NovaBay Pharmaceuticals has agreed to sell its Avenova products to PRN Physician Recommended Nutriceuticals for $9.5 million in cash, the companies announced Sept. 20. The deal is expected to close...
EU Regulators Approve Vevizye from Novaliq; Théa Will Commercialize Dry Eye Drop
Germany’s Novaliq announced Oct. 2 that the European Commission had approved its dry eye treatment Vevizye (cyclosporine ophthalmic solution) 0.1%. The product is indicated for the treatment of mod...
Boehringer Ingelheim to Advance Surrozen’s Bi-specific Antibody in Retinal Disease
Surrozen announced Sept. 24 that development partner Boehringer Ingelheim will advance SZN-413, a bi-specific antibody targeting retinal vascular disease. The milestone triggers a $10 million payme...
Nanoscope Licenses Optogenetic Technology from Max Planck Innovation
Nanoscope Therapeutics announced Sept. 30 that it had acquired a license for CatCh optogenetic technology from Max Planck Innovation, the technology transfer arm of the Max Planck Society. Financia...
Nicox, Glaukos Sign Research and Option Agreement for Glaucoma Candidate
France’s Nicox announced Sept. 23 that it had signed an exclusive research and license option agreement with Glaukos for NCX 1728, Nicox’s novel nitric oxide (NO)-donating phosphodiesterase-5 (PDE5...
Microsurgical Technology (MST) to Commercialize Vista Vitrectomy Products
Microsurgical Technology (MST) announced Sept. 17 that it had partnered with Vista Ophthalmics to commercialize Vista’s products—the Vista 1-Step vitrectomy probe and the Vista IS for maintaining t...
Bausch + Lomb Explores Sale to Separate from Bausch Health
Bausch + Lomb is working with Goldman Sachs to explore a sale of the company, the Financial Times reported Sept. 14, with private equity the most likely buyer. The move is being evaluated as a way ...
NovaBay to Sell Avenova Products for $9.5 Million as Part of Dissolution Plan
NovaBay Pharmaceuticals has agreed to sell its Avenova products to PRNPhysician Recommended Nutriceuticals for $9.5 million in cash, the companies announced Sept. 20. The deal is expected to close ...
Nicox Reports that Ocumension Has Gained Approval for Zerviate in China
France’s Nicox announced Sept. 18 that partner Ocumension Therapeutics had received regulatory approval in China to commercialize Nicox’ Zerviate (cetirizine ophthalmic solution) 0.24% for ocular i...
Ripple, AbbVie to Collaborate on Fully Biodegradable Bimatoprost Implant for Glaucoma
Ripple Therapeutics, of Toronto, Canada, announced Sept. 17 that it had signed a collaboration agreement with AbbVie to develop RTC-620, a fully biodegradable sustained-release intracameral bimatop...
Visiox to Merge with Ocuvex to Advance Two Ophthalmic Drug Candidates
Visiox Pharmaceuticals announced Aug. 19 that it had agreed to merge with Ocuvex Therapeutics, a privately held company in New Hyde Park, New York. A Visiox news release said Ocuvex has a pipeline ...
Revenio’s iCare Subsidiary Acquires AI Screening Company Thirona Retina
Finland’s Revenio Group announced Aug. 20 that its iCare subsidiary had assumed ownership of the Dutch artificial intelligence (AI) software company Thirona Retina. iCare had made a minority invest...
Revenio’s iCare Subsidiary Acquires AI Screening Company Thirona Retina
Finland’s Revenio Group announced Aug. 20 that its iCare subsidiary had assumed ownership of the Dutch artificial intelligence (AI) software company Thirona Retina. iCare had made a minority invest...
Visiox to Merge with Ocuvex to Advance Candidates for Glaucoma, Postsurgical Pain and Inflammation
Visiox Pharmaceuticals announced Aug. 19 that it had agreed to merge with Ocuvex Therapeutics, a privately held company in New Hyde Park, New York. A Visiox news release said Ocuvex has a pipeline ...
Ocumension Acquires Rights to Alcon Eye Drops in Exchange for Equity Stake
China’s Ocumension Therapeutics announced Aug. 13 that it would acquire or secure Chinese rights to a portfolio of Alcon dry eye treatments and procedural drops. In exchange, Ocumension will issue ...
Lensar Ends Collaboration with Oertli for Phaco Portion of Ally Cataract System
Lensar has terminated its collaboration agreement with Swiss company Oertli, according to a filing Aug. 5 with the US Securities and Exchange Commission. The two had been developing the Ally Adapti...
August 2024 Ophthalmic News Briefs
Ireland-based Mallinckrodt announced Aug. 6 that its H.P. Acthar Gel single-dose prefilled SelfJect injector was available in the US. The US FDA approved the supplemental new drug application for t...
Ocumension Acquires Rights to Alcon Eye Drops in Exchange for 16.7 Percent Equity Stake
China’s Ocumension Therapeutics announced Aug. 13 that it would acquire or secure Chinese rights to a portfolio of Alcon dry eye treatments and procedural drops. In exchange, Ocumension will issue ...
Santen Licenses Cloudbreak Topical Pterygium Candidate for Japan, Korea, and Southeast Asia
Japan’s Santen announced Aug. 6 that it had signed an agreement to license CBT-001, a topical pterygiumtreatment candidate from Cloudbreak Pharma. The deal covers the territories of Japan, South Ko...
Lensar Ends Collaboration with Oertli for Phaco Portion of Ally Cataract System
Lensar has terminated its collaboration agreement with Swiss company Oertli, according to a filing Aug. 5 with the US Securities and Exchange Commission. The two had been developing the Ally Adapti...
Formosa Licenses Clobetasol Propionate Drops to Apotex for Canada
Taiwan-based Formosa Pharmaceuticals announced Aug. 5 that it had agreed to license to Apotex exclusive rights to market clobetasol propionate 0.05% eye drops for postsurgical inflammation and pain...
Eyenovia, SGN Nanopharma Will Collaborate on Chronic Dry Eye Candidate with Optejet Microdoser
Eyenovia, of New York, announced July 30 that it had entered into a collaboration agreement with SGN Nanopharma to develop SGN’s micellar nanoparticle platform-based cyclosporine formulation for us...
Bausch + Lomb Acquires Dry Eye Diagnostic Company Trukera Medical
Bausch + Lomb announced July 23 that it had acquired dry eye diagnostic company Trukera Medical from its private equity owner, AccelMed Partners, and other shareholders. No financial details were d...
Eyenovia, Senju Will Collaborate on Chronic Dry Eye Candidate with Optejet Microdoser
Eyenovia, of New York, announced July 23 that it had entered into a collaboration agreement with Japan’s Senju Pharmaceutical to develop Senju’s corneal epithelial wound healing candidate, SJP-0035...
Q2-2024 Ophthalmic Deals Total More Than $1.6 Billion, Include One Strategic Purchase
Ophthalmic deals in Q2-2024 reached over $1.6 billion and involved 19 transactions. This compares with $7.0 billion from 25 transactions in Q2-2023 and $2.0 billion from 17 transactions in Q1-2024....
ANI to Acquire Alimera Sciences, Maker of Iluvien and Yutiq, for $381 Million
ANI Pharmaceuticals announced June 24 that it would acquire Alimera Sciences, maker of Iluvien and Yutiq, in a deal worth $381 mil-lion up front. The deal is expected to close in late Q3-2024, the ...
July 2024 Ophthalmic News Briefs
Bausch + Lomb announced July 23 that it had acquired dry eye diagnostic company Trukera Medical from its private equity owner, AccelMed Partners, and other shareholders. No financial details were d...
EssilorLuxottica Acquires Majority Stake in Diagnostics Maker Heidelberg
Eyewear conglomerate EssilorLuxottica announced July 17 that it had agreed to acquire an 80 percent stake in Heidelberg Engineering, a leader in ophthalmic diagnostic imaging. Financial details wer...
Beacon Will Evaluate Abeona’s AAV204 Capsid for Select Ophthalmic Indications
Beacon Therapeutics will evaluate Abeona Therapeutics’ patented AAV204 capsid for potential gene therapies for select ophthalmic indications, the companies announced July 11. AAV204, a novel AAV ca...
Ophthalmology Chain Clínica Baviera Enters UK Market with Acquisition of Optimax
European ophthalmology chain Clínica Baviera has extended its reach into the UK with the purchase of Optimax. Optimax (Eye Hospitals Group and subsidiaries) operates 19 clinics under the Optimax an...
J&J Leads Series A Round for Crosslinking Tech Developer TecLens
Johnson & Johnson is the lead investor in a Series A funding round for Stamford, Connecticut-based TecLens, developer of a new crosslinking technology, J&J announced June 21. The technology is inte...
Kane Biotech Licenses Biofilm Dispersion Enzyme to I-Med for Dry Eye
Kane Biotech announced June 25 that I-Med Pharma had licensed its DispersinB biofilm dispersion technology to incorporate into its products to relieve dry eye. It’s the first commercial agreement f...
RevOpsis Enlists India’s Kemwell Biopharma to Manufacture Wet AMD Candidate
RevOpsis Therapeutics, of San Carlos, California, announced June 17 that it had entered into a strategic manufacturing partnership with India’s Kemwell Biopharma. The deal aims to accelerate develo...
ANI Pharmaceuticals to Acquire Alimera Sciences, Maker of Iluvien and Yutiq, for $381 Million
ANI Pharmaceuticals announced June 24 that it would acquire Alimera Sciences, maker of Iluvien and Yutiq, in a deal worth $381 million up front. The deal is expected to close in late Q3-2024, the c...
Eversight Partners with LighTopTech to Improve Imaging of Eye Tissues
Global nonprofit eye bank Eversight announced June 5 a four-year partnership with LighTopTech to improve imaging for eye tissues in clinical and research settings. Eversight will integrate LighTopT...
Opthea Leads Latest Fundraising with $113.2M Placement, Entitlement Offer
Opthea led recent ophthalmic fundraising efforts with a $113.2 million placement and entitlement offer, as it continues to advance its wet AMD candidate. Financing announced in the past four weeks ...
Merck to Acquire Retinal Drug Developer EyeBio in Deal Worth up to $3 Billion
Merck, of Rahway, New Jersey, announced May 29 that it was acquiring Eyebiotech Limited (EyeBio) for an upfront payment of $1.3 billion and up to $1.7 billion in future milestone payments. The deal...
June 2024 Ophthalmic News Briefs
Japan’s Nidek announced June 3 that it had launched the RS-1 Glauvas OCT system. The device is CE marked as a Class IIa device. Nidek said the RS-1 Glauvas’ streamlined workflow and advanced analyt...
Eversight Partners with LighTopTech to Improve Imaging of Eye Tissues
Global nonprofit eye bank Eversight announced June 5 a four-year partnership with LighTopTech to improve imaging for eye tissues in clinical and research settings. Eversight will integrate LighTopT...
Sightpath Medical Acquires LASIK Services Business PennVista
Sightpath Medical announced May 30 that it had acquired PennVista, a LASIK services business operating in Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, Indiana, and Michigan. Financial details were not disclo...
Merck to Acquire Retinal Drug Developer EyeBio in Deal Worth up to $3 Billion
Merck, of Rahway, New Jersey, announced May 29 that it was acquiring Eyebiotech Limited (EyeBio) for an upfront payment of $1.3 billion and up to $1.7 billion in future milestone payments. The deal...
HanAll Licenses Turn Bio mRNA Technology for Eye and Ear Diseases
South Korea-based HanAll Biopharma announced May 28 that it had licensed Turn Biotechnologies’ epigenetic reprogramming technology for eye and ear diseases. The company said the deal could be worth...
Alcon to Acquire Glaucoma Laser Company Belkin Vision for up to $335M
Alcon is acquiring Israel’s Belkin Vision, maker of the Eagle laser for glaucoma, for up to $335 million, according to reports. The value of the transaction was first estimated in a story dated May...
Xbrane, Stada Partner with Valorum to Commercialize Ranibizumab Biosimilar in US
Partners Xbrane Biopharma, of Sweden, and Germany’s Stada announced May 10 that they had entered into an exclusive licensing agreement with biosimilar company Valorum Biologics to market their rani...
Artificial Intelligence Takes Leading Role at 2024 ARVO Meeting
Artificial intelligence was a prominent topic at the 2024 ARVO meeting. Discussions ranged from using AI in published ophthalmic research to employing it in early detection and monitoring of eye di...
New Topcon Healthcare CEO, Latest Partnerships Stress Focus on ‘Oculomics’
Topcon Healthcare announced April 26 that it had appointed Ali Tafreshi as CEO and president. The company said Tafreshi will lead the company’s focus on “oculomics”—diagnosing not just eye disease ...
Xbrane, Stada Partner with Valorum to Commercialize Ranibizumab Biosimilar Candidate in US
Partners Xbrane Biopharma, of Sweden, and Germany’s Stada announced May 10 that they had entered into an exclusive licensing agreement with biosimilar company Valorum Biologics to market their rani...
Formosa Licenses Clobetasol Propionate Drops to Tabuk Pharmaceuticals for MENA Region
Taiwan-based Formosa Pharmaceuticals announced May 9 that it had entered into an exclusive licensing agreement with Tabuk Pharmaceuticals to market clobetasol propionate 0.05% eye drops for post-su...
Alcon to Acquire Glaucoma Laser Company Belkin Vision for up to $335 Million
Alcon is acquiring Israel’s Belkin Vision, maker of the Eagle laser for glaucoma, for up to $335 million, according to reports. The value of the transaction was first estimated in a story dated May...
California-Based Science Corporation Acquires Pixium Vision’s Prima Implant
Science Corporation, of Alameda, California, reported April 25 that it had acquiredthe IP and related assets for the Prima retinal implant, developed by Pixium Vision SA, of France. Terms of the de...
Retinal Pharmaceutical Transactions Drive Ophthalmic Deals in First Quarter of 2024
Ophthalmic deals in Q1-2024 reached over $2.1 billion and involved 20 transactions. This compares with $2.0 billion from 17 transactions in Q1-2023 and $570 million from 12 transactions in Q4-2023....
Warburg Pincus Buys Controlling Stake in India’s Appasamy
US-based private equity firm Warburg Pincus and Appasamy Associates announced April 10 that Warburg had bought a controlling stake in the Indian ophthalmic company. Financial details were not discl...
ABVC BioPharma Sells Global Rights to Vitreous Substitute to ForSeeCon Eye for $30 Million Up Front
ABVC BioPharma announced March 26 that it had agreed to license its ophthalmology pipeline, including the vitreous substitute candidate Vitargus, to ForSeeCon Eye. ABVC, of Fremont, California, say...
Eyenovia Explores Strategic Alternatives as it Rolls Out Mydcombi, Postsurgical Steroid
Eyenovia reported April 8 that it is exploring strategic alternatives to maximize shareholder value, even as it rolls out Mydcombi for pupil dilation and prepares to launch its clobetasol propionat...
April 2024 Ophthalmic News Briefs
Alexion, the rare disease unit of AstraZeneca, announced March 25 that the US FDA had approved its long-acting C5 complement inhibitor Ultomiris (ravulizumab-cwvz) for adults with neuromyelitis opt...
US Private Equity Firm Warburg Pincus Buys Controlling Stake in India’s Appasamy
US-based private equity firm Warburg Pincus and Appasamy Associates announced April 10 that Warburg had bought a controlling stake in the Indian ophthalmic company. Financial details were not discl...
Eyenovia Explores Strategic Alternatives as it Rolls Out Mydcombi, Postsurgical Steroid
Eyenovia reported April 8 that it is exploring strategic alternatives to maximize shareholder value, even as it rolls out Mydcombi for pupil dilation and prepares to launch its clobetasol propionat...
Optical Chain to Exclusively Offer Verséa’s Biovance Ocular Allografts
West Point Optical Group, which operates 86 Pearle Vision clinics in 13 states, announced April 3 that it had reached an agreement with Verséa Ophthalmics to offer Verséa’s Biovance and Biovance 3L...
ABVC BioPharma Sells Global Rights to Vitreous Substitute to ForSeeCon Eye for $30 Million Up Front
ABVC BioPharma announced March 26 that it had agreed to license its ophthalmology pipeline, including the vitreous substitute candidate Vitargus, to ForSeeCon Eye. ABVC, of Fremont, California, say...
Provectus Licenses from University of Miami a Photodynamic Antimicrobial Treatment with Rose Bengal Sodium
Provectus Biopharmaceuticals announced March 27 that it had entered into an agreement with the University of Miami for an exclusive worldwide license of a photodynamic antimicrobial therapy (PDAT) ...
2023 Ophthalmic Revenue Roundup for Harrow, Alimera Sciences, and EyePoint
Nashville, Tennessee-based Harrow reported March 19 that its 2023 revenue was $130.2 million, a 47 percent increase over $88.6 million in 2022. The company generated record quarterly revenue in Q4-...
Athyrium Takes Control of Upneeq Maker RVL Inc. as Parent Winds Down
RVL Pharmaceuticals Inc., of New Jersey, formerly a subsidiary of publicly held RVL Pharmaceuticals plc, is now owned by Athyrium Capital Management after emerging from Chapter 11 bankruptcy procee...
March 2024 Ophthalmic News Briefs
Germany’s VSY Biotechnology launched its Enova Maestro trifocal toric preloaded intraocular lens (IOL) at the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons (ESCRS) Winter Meeting, held Feb. ...
Athyrium Takes Control of Upneeq Maker RVL Inc. as Parent Winds Down
RVL Pharmaceuticals Inc., of New Jersey, formerly a subsidiary of publicly held RVL Pharmaceuticals plc, is now owned by Athyrium Capital Management after emerging from Chapter 11 bankruptcy procee...
NovaBay, Eyenovia Team Up to Co-promote Ophthalmic Products
Eyenovia and NovaBay Pharmaceuticals announced March 13 the signing of a co-promotion agreement to commercialize their prescription ophthalmic products. Under the agreement, NovaBay will market Eye...
Eversight Partners with Emmecell to Advance Corneal Cell Therapies
Global nonprofit eye bank Eversight and Emmecell announced Feb. 20 that they would collaborate to advance cell therapies for corneal treatment. Emmecell, of Menlo Park, California, is developing EO...
Sandoz Acquires Biosimilar Cimerli from Coherus for $170M Up Front
Swiss drugmaker Sandoz announced Jan. 22 that it had signed an agreement to acquire the US ranibizumab (Lucentis) biosimilar Cimerli from Coherus BioSciences for $170 million up front. The deal inc...
4DMT Leads Latest Ophthalmic Fundraising with $300 Million Public Offering
4D Molecular Therapeutics led recent ophthalmic fundraising efforts with a $300 million upsized public offering to continue advancing its retinal gene therapy candidate. Financing announced in the ...
February 2024 Ophthalmic News Briefs
Amneal Pharmaceuticals announced Jan. 10 that it had received US FDA approval for and launched generic fluorometholone eye drops. The product is indicated for the treatment of corticosteroid-respon...
Harrow Licenses Rights to Five Drugs to Apotex for Canada
Harrow reported Feb. 15 that it had licensed to Apotex exclusive marketing and distribution rights to Verkasia and over-the-counter Cationorm Plus in the Canadian market. In addition, Apotex will p...
Nicox Licenses NCX 470 (Bimatoprost) Drop for Glaucoma to Kowa for Japan for $3.2 Million Up Front
France’s Nicox announced Feb. 8 that it had signed a deal granting Japanese drug company Kowa exclusive Japanese rights to develop and commercialize Nicox’ NCX 470 (0.1% bimatoprost) eye drop for g...
Omeros Changes Up Royalty Agreement with DRI Healthcare for Additional $115 Million
Seattle-based Omeros reported Feb. 1 that it had changed up its agreement with DRI Healthcare Trust for Omidria royalties. DRI, based in Toronto, Canada, has paid Omeros an additional $115 million ...
Kiora Licenses Retinal Candidate to Théa Open Innovation in Potential $301M Deal
Encinitas, California-based Kiora Pharmaceuticals reported Jan. 31 that it had granted Théa Open Innovation exclusive worldwide development and commercialization rights, excluding Asia, to KIO-301 ...
New Company Eyconis Formed to Develop Ascendis Pharma's Ophthalmology Assets
Denmark’s Ascendis Pharma announced Jan. 29 that it had founded Eyconis, a separate company to develop and commercialize its ophthalmic assets globally. The company is launching with a $150 million...
Sandoz Acquires Ranibizumab Biosimilar Cimerli from Coherus for $170 Million Up Front
Swiss drugmaker Sandoz announced Jan. 22 that it had signed an agreement to acquire the US ranibizumab (Lucentis) biosimilar Cimerli from Coherus BioSciences for $170 million up front. The deal inc...
Iuvo BioScience Acquires Promedica International, Broadening Ophthalmic CRO Expertise
Rochester, New York-based Iuvo BioScience, a clinical research organization (CRO) that specializes in ophthalmology, reported Jan. 18 that it had acquired privately held Promedica International, an...
BlueRock Exercises Option to License Retinal Cell Therapy Candidate from Fujifilm and Opsis
Bayer subsidiary BlueRock Therapeutics announced Jan. 23 that it had exercised its option to license OpCT-001, an induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) derived cell therapy candidate for primary pho...
Abpro to Gain Nasdaq Listing in Merger with SPAC, Has Retinal Candidate in Pipeline
Privately held Abpro reported Jan. 22 that it will gain a listing on the Nasdaq through a merger with Atlantic Coastal Acquisition Corp. II, a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) based in Ne...
Ophthalmology Sees Large Acquisitions in 2023; Dollar Total Reaches Three-Year High
Ophthalmic deals in 2023 reached nearly $12.3 billion and included 78 transactions. This compares with $5.7 billion in 2022 and $8.5 billion in 2021. Mergers and acquisitions totaled $8.9 billion; ...
Eyenovia Reacquires Rights to MicroPine in US, Canada from Bausch + Lomb
Eyenovia announced Jan. 16 that it had reacquired the rights to pediatric myopia candidate MicroPine in the US and Canada from Bausch + Lomb. The investigational formulation of atropine, intended f...
2023 in Review: Zeiss Fills Retina Gap with $1.1 Billion Acquisition of DORC
Carl Zeiss Meditec announced in December that Zeiss had agreed to acquire Netherlands-based Dutch Ophthalmic Research Center (DORC) from investment firm Eurazeo for €985 million ($1.1 billion). Eua...
2023 in Review: Astellas’ Deal for Iveric Bio Tops Ophthalmic Acquisitions in 2023
Japanese drugmaker Astellas made the single largest transaction in the 2023 ophthalmic market when it acquired Iveric Bio for $5.9 billion. The deal was announced April 30 and closed on July 11, wh...
Janssen Purchases Remaining Rights for XLRP Candidate from MeiraGTx for $415 Million
Janssen Pharmaceuticals has purchased from MeiraGTx the remaining rights for development, manufacturing, and commercializa-tion of botaretigene sparoparvovec (bota-vec) for $415 million, MeiraGTx r...
January 2024 Ophthalmic News Briefs
Maker of Sophi Phaco Machines UK-based Rayner announced Jan. 17 that it had acquired Switzerland’s This AG, the maker of Sophi phacoemulsification machines. No financial details were disclosed. Sop...
Rayner Acquires Switzerland-Based This AG, Maker of Sophi Phaco Machines
UK-based Rayner announced Jan. 17 that it had acquired Switzerland’s This AG, the maker of Sophi phacoemulsification machines. No financial details were disclosed. Sophi phaco machines are battery-...
Eyenovia Reacquires Rights to MicroPine in US, Canada from Bausch + Lomb
Eyenovia announced Jan. 16 that it had reacquired the rights to pediatric myopia candidate MicroPine in the US and Canada from Bausch + Lomb. The investigational formulation of atropine, intended f...
Oxurion Avoids Bankruptcy, Will Focus on Preclinical Programs in GA
Belgium’s Oxurion announced Dec. 28 that it had avoided bankruptcy through an agreement with its main creditor, Atlas Special Opportunities. Atlas will continue to fund Oxurion under an existing 20...
Nordic Pharma Subsidiary Acquires Visant Medical, Will Launch Lacrifill for Dry Eye in US
Nordic Pharma subsidiary Amring Pharmaceuticals announced Dec. 18 that it had completed its acquisition of Visant Medical. Visant received US FDA 510(k) clearance in 2022 for its Lacrifill cross-li...
Janssen Buys Remaining Rights for XLRP Candidate from MeiraGTx for $415 Million
Janssen Pharmaceuticals has purchased from MeiraGTx the remaining rights for development, manufacturing, and commercialization of botaretigene sparoparvovec (bota-vec) for $415 million, MeiraGTx re...
Ophthalmic Drugmaker Visiox to Merge with SPAC to Gain Nasdaq Listing
Privately held Visiox Pharmaceuticals reported Dec. 27 that it will gain a listing on the Nasdaq through a merger with PowerUp Acquisition Corp., a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) based ...
ECM to Collaborate with Pitt’s Fox Center on Restoring Optic Nerve Damage
ECM Therapeutics, of Warrendale, Pennsylvania, reported Dec. 19 that it would collaborate with the Louis J. Fox Center for Vision Restoration on work to restore vision following optic nerve damage....
RetinAI to Provide Connectivity for RIMR Consortium Targeting AMD Biomarkers
RetinAI reported Nov. 29 that it had joined a global nonprofit consortium of physicians, researchers, and industry partners working to define optimal biomarkers and endpoints in age-related macular...
Carl Zeiss Meditec Acquires DORC for $1.1 Billion
Carl Zeiss Meditec announced Dec. 15 that it had agreed to acquire Netherlands-based Dutch Ophthalmic Research Center (DORC) from investment firm Eurazeo, of Paris. DORC, founded in 1983, is a lead...
Aurolab to Develop Kubota’s At-home OCT Device for South Asia Markets
Seattle-based Kubota Vision reported Dec. 6 that it agreed to provide Aurolab, of India, with an exclusive license to develop, manufacture, and distribute eyeMo, Kubota’s low-cost, home-based, self...
Genentech, Nvidia Combine AI Expertise to Accelerate Drug Development
Genentech and Nvidia reported Nov. 21 that the two companies had formed a multi-year strategic research collaboration to accelerate Genentech’s proprietary algorithms and speed drug development. Ge...
December 2023 Ophthalmic News Briefs
Enzene Biosciences, based in Pune, India, announced in November that it had launched a ranibizumab biosimilar for the treatment of wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD). The product references...
Genentech, Nvidia Combine AI Expertise to Accelerate Drug Development
Genentech and Nvidia reported Nov. 21 that the two companies had formed a multi-year strategic research collaboration to accelerate Genentech’s proprietary algorithms and speed drug development. Ge...
Keeler and Long Grove Pharmaceuticals Enter Agreement for Distribution of Ak-fluor
Ophthalmic company Keeler announced Nov. 15 that it had formed a partnership with Long Grove Pharmaceuticals to distribute Ak-fluor (fluorescein injection) for diagnostic fluorescein angiography. L...
Stuart Therapeutics Licenses its Glaucoma Neuroprotection Candidate to Glaukos
Stuart Therapeutics announced Oct. 18 that it had granted Glaukos exclusive worldwide rights to develop and commercialize Stuart’s ST-113 drug candidate for neuroprotection in glaucoma. ST-113 is a...
AbbVie Signs Option Deal with Aldeyra for License to Develop Reproxalap
Aldeyra Therapeutics announced Nov. 1 that AbbVie had signed an exclusive option agreement to license to develop, manufacture, and commercialize reproxalap, Aldeyra’s candidate in development for d...
November 2023 Ophthalmic News Briefs
Specialty pharma company Padagis announced Oct. 13 the launch of its brinzolamide ophthalmic suspension, a generic version of Novartis’ Azopt for glaucoma. Padagis, with offices in the US and Israe...
Lenz Plans Merger with Graphite Bio to Gain Nasdaq Listing, Advance Presbyopia Drop Candidate
Privately held Lenz Therapeutics announced Nov. 15 that it had entered into an agreement to merge with Nasdaq-listed Graphite Bio in an all-stock transaction. The combined company would take the Le...
Visionix Forms Strategic Alliance with 20/20Now to Expand Tele-optometry
Visionix’ US division announced Nov. 10 that it had entered into a strategic alliance with 20/20Now to bring tele-optometry to more optical retailers. 20/20Now, of Holbrook, New York, offers a soft...
AbbVie Signs Option Agreement with Aldeyra for License to Develop and Commercialize Reproxalap
Aldeyra Therapeutics announced Nov. 1 that AbbVie had signed an exclusive option agreement to license to develop, manufacture, and commercialize reproxalap, Aldeyra’s candidate in development for d...
Aeye Health, Topcon Partner to Deliver AI-Aided Point-of-Care Screening for DR
Aeye Health and Topcon’s diabetic point-of-care eye exam arm, Topcon Screen, announced Oct. 27 that they would partner to deliver artificial intelligence-aided screening for diabetic retinopathy (D...
Stuart Therapeutics Licenses its Glaucoma Neuroprotection Candidate to Glaukos
Stuart Therapeutics announced Oct. 18 that it had granted Glaukos exclusive worldwide rights to develop and commercialize Stuart’s ST-113 drug candidate for neuroprotection in glaucoma. ST-113 is a...
Acquisitions and OUS Investments Drive Ophthalmic Deals in Third Quarter of 2023
Ophthalmic deals in Q3-2023 reached nearly $2.8 billion and involved 22 transactions. This compares with $6.9 billion from 24 transactions in Q2-2023 and $1.0 billion from 20 transactions in Q3-202...
October 2023 Ophthalmic News Briefs
Théa Pharma, the US subsidiary of France’s Laboratoires Théa, announced the launch Sept. 26 of once-daily Iyuzeh (latanoprost ophthalmic solution) 0.005% in the US market. Iyuzeh is the first prese...
Fera Reaches Deal with Canada’s LSL to Import Erythromycin Eye Ointment for Newborns
Canada’s LSL Pharma Group announced Oct. 18 that it had reached a deal with US specialty pharmaceutical company Fera to import erythromycin ophthalmic ointment (5mg/g) for the treatment of newborns...
SpliceBio, Spark Therapeutics to Collaborate on Gene Therapy Targeting Inherited Retinal Disease
Spain’s SpliceBio announced Oct. 17 that it had signed an agreement with Spark Therapeutics to utilize SpliceBio’s protein splicing platform to develop a gene therapy for an undisclosed inherited r...
AffaMed Licenses Evolux Enhanced Monofocal IOL from SIFI for Greater China Market
China’s AffaMed Technologies announced Oct. 10 that it had entered into an agreement with SIFI, of Italy, to manufacture, develop, and commercialize SIFI’s Evolux enhanced monofocal intraocular len...
Zeiss Partners With Boehringer Ingelheim to Improve Diagnosis and Treatment of Eye Disease
German companies Zeiss and Boehringer Ingelheim reported Oct. 2 that they would collaborate long-termon developing predictive analytics to foster earlier detection of eye disease and more personali...
Kriya Licenses Everads’ Suprachoroidal Delivery Technology for Gene Therapy Candidates Targeting Complement Cascade
Israel’s Everads Therapy announced Sept. 27 that it had entered into an agreement with Kriya Therapeutics to advance Kriya’s portfolio of gene therapies for retinal diseases using Everads’ supracho...
ProQR’s Deal with Théa to Acquire Ophthalmic Assets is Terminated
Netherlands-based ProQR Therapeutics announced Sept. 27 that a deal with France’s Laboratoires Théa to acquire ProQR’s late-stage ophthalmic assets had been terminated. Théa had agreed in August 20...
CS Pharmaceuticals acquires AxeroVision and Cream-Based Dry Eye Candidate
London-based CS Pharmaceuticals reported July 28 that it had acquired AxeroVision, of Carlsbad, California, and its AXR-270 candidate for dry eye disease. The company did not report financial detai...
Novartis Readies Spinout of Sandoz, a Leading Provider of Generic Ophthalmic Drugs
Swiss company Novartis reported Sept. 15 that its shareholders had approved its spinoff of Sandoz, its generics and biosimilars business. The target date for the spinoff is Oct. 4. Sandoz is a lead...
BVI Expands Presence in Spain and Portugal with Acquisition of Medical Mix
BVI Medical announced Sept. 6 that it had acquired Medical Mix, a leading supplier of ophthalmic surgical devices in Spain and Portugal. No financial details were provided. Medical Mix, of Barcelon...
Amgen to Complete Horizon Acquisition in Q4-2023 After Settling FTC Challenge
The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) will allow Amgen to acquire Horizon Therapeutics, after Amgen agreed in a consent order to several conditions related to how it will market its newly purchased...
September 2023 Ophthalmic News Briefs
Carl Zeiss Meditec announced Aug. 23 that more than 8 million eyes had been treated with the company’s SMILE procedure through the first half of 2023. SMILE, short for small-incision lenticule extr...
NovaBay will Commercialize BioStem Amniotic Tissue Ocular Allograft as Avenova Allograft
NovaBay Pharmaceuticals and BioStem Technologies announced an agreement Sept. 11 under which NovaBay will commercialize BioStem’s ocular amniotic tissue allograft. No financial details for the deal...
Otsuka, ShapeTX Will Collaborate on Ocular Gene Therapy Candidates
Japan’s Otsuka Pharmaceutical and ShapeTX announced Sept. 7 that they would collaborate to develop intravitreally delivered adeno-associated virus (AAV) gene therapy candidates for ocular diseases,...
Link Biologics Partners with Théa Open Innovation to Develop Dry Eye Candidate
Link Biologics, of London, and France’s Théa Open Innovation announced Sept. 12 that they had agreed to co-develop Link’s topical anti-inflammatory candidate TSG6 for dry eye disease and other opht...
BVI Expands Presence in Spain and Portugal with Acquisition of Medical Mix
BVI Medical announced Sept. 6 that it had acquired Medical Mix, a leading supplier of ophthalmic surgical devices in Spain and Portugal. No financial details were provided. Medical Mix, of Barcelon...
Amgen to Complete Horizon Acquisition in Q4-2023 After Settling FTC Challenge
The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) will allow Amgen to acquire Horizon Therapeutics, after Amgen agreed in a consent order to several conditions related to how it will market its newly purchased...
CIRM Grants $12.4 Million to Regenerative Patch Technologies to Advance RPE Implant
The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) announced July 27 that it had awarded a $12.4 million grant to Regenerative Patch Technologies (RPT) to support a Phase IIb clinical trial ...
Iridex to Undergo Strategic Review
Iridex announced Aug. 29 that it would undergo a review of strategic alternatives, with Piper Sandler acting as financial advisor for the process. The Mountain View, California, ophthalmic laser co...
Lurker Explains EyePoint’s Many Transitions as She Turns Over Reins
Nancy Lurker, executive vice chair of EyePoint Pharmaceuticals, sat with Market Scope at the 2023 meeting of the American Society of Retina Specialists (ASRS) and reflected on the challenges of run...
Laboratoires Théa to Acquire ProQR’s Ophthalmic Assets for €12.5M Up Front, Plus Milestone Payments
Netherlands-based ProQR Therapeutics announced Aug. 1 that France’s Laboratoires Théa would acquire ProQR’s late-stage ophthalmic assets, sepofarsen and ultevursen, targeting inherited retinal dise...
August 2023 Ophthalmic News Briefs
New York’s Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai announced July 5 that it had launched the Center for Ophthalmic Artificial Intelligence and Human Health. The center will incorporate AI into educ...
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