November 2014 | Page 2 of 4 | Ophthalmology Innovation Source

Alimera Sciences

Alimera Sciences Inc. is ready to launch in the US its recently approved intravitreal implant, Iluvien, for treating diabetic macular edema. President and CEO Dan Myers reported the company has a direct sales force of 32 reps ready for the product’s commercial debut in Q1 2015. Iluvien delivers a corticosteroid, providing sustained therapeutic effect for…

Alcon’s Head Jeff George Lays Out Vision

[creativ_pullleft colour=”light-gray” colour_custom=”” text=”Episode 015″] Jeff George, President & Global Head of Alcon, shares his optimism for the ophthalmology sector with attendees at the recent Ophthalmology Innovation Summit in Chicago. George explained where Alcon was putting research and development dollars (spoiler, one involves Google.) He also identified what he saw as intriguing companies and technologies…

Device, Delivery, & Diagnostic Company Showcase

Chicago—The 6th Annual Ophthalmology Innovation Summit (OIS), held here prior to the annual American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) featured a plethora of intriguing early- to mid-stage companies focused in the medical devices arena. A regular presenter in past OIS meetings has been Tom Frinzi, President and CEO of WaveTec Vision (Aliso Viejo, California). Frinzi has…

Alcon’s George Shares Passion for Ophthalmology

Chicago— Jeff George, Global Head of Alcon Inc., introduced himself to the Ophthalmology Innovation Summit community with a far-ranging keynote address, “Accelerating Innovation in Ophthalmology.” Appointed to lead Alcon in May 2014, George — who had been an executive at Alcon’s parent company, Novartis — revealed that as a youngster he had very high myopia.…

Biopharma Companies of All Stages Shine in OIS Showcase

Biopharmaceutical development has gone well beyond the drugs themselves to mechanisms and platforms that aim to deliver those drugs more effectively and precisely than existing platforms, as nearly 800 attendees at the Ophthalmology Innovation Summit in Chicago heard during the BioPharma Showcase. Read the key takeaways below on the companies that presented, and watch the…

Eye Companies Helping Health Care Stand Out

Healthcare stocks are outperforming the indices, and ophthalmic companies are helping to fuel a large part of that growth, Jeffrey Hoffman, Managing Director and Head of West Coast Healthcare Investment Banking for J.P. Morgan, told attendees at the Ophthalmology Innovation Summit in Chicago. “Healthcare has outperformed most other sectors, and it has been primarily driven…

CEOs Share Their ‘Second Acts’ On Way to Building Successful Companies

Building a successful biotech or biopharma company typically turns on a sentinel event — the pivot, as William J. Link, PhD, Managing Director of Versant Ventures calls it. That can involve a complete shift in a company’s focus. Link hosted a panel at the Ophthalmology Innovation Summit in Chicago, where CEOs and founders explained how…

FDA Division Directors Detail How Agency Adapts to Innovation

The rush of innovation in ophthalmology – both in drugs and devices – is driving the Food and Drug Administration to adopt guidelines and standards to help expedite approvals. Two key players within the agency, Dr. Wiley Chambers and Dr. Malvina Eydelman, sat down for an open Q&A with Emmett Cunningham, MD, co-chair of OIS@AAO.…

Digital Health Companies Poised to Grow

When the OIS started its digital showcase in 2012, there was only one company presenting in the category. “Today there are six—evidence that this area has huge momentum,” said Gilbert H. Kliman, MD, OIS Co-Chair and Managing Director of InterWest Partners. Mobile health platforms and applications lead the pack, with new approaches to diagnosis, patient…

AAO Sees Good and Bad in Consolidation

Speaking at the recent OIS@AAO meeting, American Academy of Ophthalmology EVP and CEO David W. Parke II, MD, highlighted health care system integration forces that are aggregating physicians into larger groups, encouraging hospital mergers, and accelerating physician employment. Much of the consolidation is happening as part of the push towards accountable care organizations (ACOs). About…

The NEI’s Role in Innovation

The National Eye Institute (NEI) spends $675 million annually, mostly on basic science and discovery research. In addition, said Matthew J. McMahon, PhD, Director of the agency’s Office of Translational Research, “We have a clear mandate to help translate these discoveries into clinical medicine and public health improvements.” He points to the agency’s role in…

MC2 Biotek Group Offers Insights on PAD

MC2 Biotek Group’s Co-Founder and President Jesper J. Lange updated attendees on the company’s PAD technology, which may make existing drugs easier to use. The company’s lead product PADciclo is beginning Phase II testing against dry eye. MC2 Biotek has a collaboration with Moorfield Pharmaceuticals (part of Moorfield Eye Hospital) to develop a cyclosporine formulation…