Week in review: Reverse chocolate, broccoli power, Luxturna launch

A weekly roundup of ophthalmic news from around the web.

“Reverse chocolate” is how researchers are describing an injectable liquid that warms into a drug-laden gel at body temperature. The biomedical startup AesculaTech says the gel has applications for pharmaceuticals, medical devices, cosmetics and textiles — but for now, they’ve set their sights on a once-a-year treatment for dry eye syndrome. Clinical trials are slated to start soon. TechCrunch

“That’s $425,000 right there,” said Dr. Jack Comander, a surgeon at Mass. Eye and Ear, as he placed syringes containing Luxturna — the expensive gene therapy for inherited retinal dystrophy — on the operating table. This week, the news site STAT published a feature on his patient: 13-year-old Jack Hogan, who is the first person in the United States to receive Luxturna since the treatment gained regulatory approval last year. STAT    

Move over, carrots! Broccoli may be the newest eye-friendly veggie, according to ongoing research supported by a $2.25 million grant from the National Eye Institute. Researchers say sulforaphane — a compound found in broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage and other cruciferous vegetables — protects retinal cells and may stave off AMD. NewsOK

Congress is poised to approve a spending package that would protect Omeros’ Medicare pass-through status, allowing the company to charge Medicare higher prices for Omidria, a drug for maintaining intraoperative mydriasis and reducing postoperative pain. The language is tucked into the 2,232-page Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2018. STAT

Ocugen's combination therapy for dry eye disease appears promising, according to findings from a phase 2 proof-of-concept trial. Patients tolerated the drug OCU310, a blend of brimonidine tartrate and loteprednol etabonate, and the treatment improved symptoms of the condition. Phase 3 clinical studies are expected to start this fall. Healio