FEB 08, 2019
By Anni Griswold
Comprehensive Ophthalmology, Cornea/External Disease, Refractive Mgmt/Intervention, Retina/Vitreous
A weekly roundup of ophthalmic news from around the web.
Genentech is using virtual reality (VR) to train eye surgeons in the LADDER trial for wet AMD. Executives expect the trial will prompt widespread use of VR technology in medical training, The Wall Street Journal reported this week. The clinical trial is testing an implant that continually releases ranibizumab. If the device gains regulatory approval, Genentech expects to train the more than 2,200 retinal specialists in the United States. Get ready! The Wall Street Journal
Eyenovia’s first-in-class myopia treatment is poised to start phase 3 trials, now that the FDA has accepted their investigational new drug application. The double-masked CHAPERONE study will randomly assign 400 children to receive a placebo or one of two concentrations of MicroPine, a micro-therapeutic formulation of atropine. Trial enrollment is expected to begin soon. Eyenovia
EyePoint Pharma just announced the commercial launch of an intravitreal implant that fights uveitis flares for 3 years. Yutiq gained regulatory approval last October and is now sold as a single-dose preloaded applicator that is administered in the clinic. The implant continuously releases fluocinolone acetonide to sidestep the peaks and valleys of local corticosteroids. EyePoint Pharmaceuticals
Tivanisiran’s effects on dry eye may be hard to discern, according to findings from the phase 3 HELIX trial. The drug improved ocular pain and total corneal staining in patients with moderate to severe dry eye, but to a similar extent as artificial tears. The drug did show subtle improvements over artificial tears in central corneal staining, so Sylentis plans to confer with the FDA on next steps. Sylentis
An endangered okapi calf is recovering after surgery to remove a corneal lesion, the Miami Herald reported. Two-month-old Maziwa was born at a Florida wildlife refuge with a condition that caused hair and skin to grow near one of her corneas. She is expected to recover with full vision. Miami Herald