Week in review: Ocular itching, early warning, Wills wins!

A weekly roundup of ophthalmic news from around the web.

Alembic Pharmaceutical’s new eyedrop for ocular itching just won FDA approval. Olopatadine hydrochloride ophthalmic solution 0.1% is a fast-acting and long-lasting treatment for allergic conjunctivitis, the company says, and is therapeutically equivalent to Patanol (Novartis). Alembic Pharmaceuticals

Australian scientists are developing a blood test to spot the earliest signs of dry AMD, possibly buying time for sight-saving interventions. The test is designed to detect an inflammatory response triggered by photoreceptor degradation. "Combined with predisposing genetic information, we hope to be able to predict people who are at high risk and start treating before the disease presents," said lead investigator Riccardo Natoli, PhD. Australian National University

Wills Eye Hospital’s eye residency program has been voted #1 in the nation, according to Doximity.com. What’s so great about Wills? According to residents, it’s the culture, access to the breadth and depth of ocular conditions, hands-on training with renowned faculty, 24/7 Wills Eye Emergency Room and global reach through programs like the Wills International Resident Experience. Cision PR Newswire

A CRISPR-based treatment for Leber congenital amaurosis type 10 is moving through the regulatory pipeline. Editas Medicine says the FDA has cleared their investigational new drug application for EDIT-101, a gene-editing therapy delivered to photoreceptor cells via a subretinal injection. The company plans to enroll 10 to 20 patients in a phase 1/2 open-label, dose escalation study to evaluate the therapy’s safety, tolerability and efficacy. Editas Medicine

The FDA has fast-tracked Stealth BioTherapeutics’ elamipretide, an experimental drug for dry AMD with geographic atrophy. The decision comes on the heels of an open-label phase 1 study supporting the safety and tolerability of daily subcutaneous injections of elamipretide in patients with dry AMD. The company plans to start a phase 2b randomized, double-masked, placebo-controlled clinical study early next year. Stealth BioTherapeutics