NEWS spectrum
Menicon Acquires Rose K
Menicon Co., Ltd. and Rose K International Limited have reached an agreement for Menicon to acquire 100 percent of the ownership of Rose K, effective last month. With this acquisition, Dr. Paul Rose and Mr. Ian Jennings, founders and owners of Rose K International Limited, will join the global Menicon group and continue to act as the main figures of the global Rose K operations. Menicon will allocate a substantial amount of resources to further grow the Rose K business worldwide while maintaining and reinforcing the business relation with the existing labs.
Dr. Hinderani Tanaka, president of Menicon Co., Ltd., said, "We are extremely pleased to be able to work with Dr. Rose, Mr. Jennings, and their labs for the care of keratoconus patients. I am sure that both brands of Menicon and Rose K will substantially benefit from the synergy of working together as part of the same family."
Dr. Rose and Mr. Jennings added, "We have developed Rose K to a level that now requires the diverse skills, expertise and resources that a growing multi-national company like Menicon can bring to Rose K lenses. Now, we can provide even better services to our customers including all the labs, eye care practitioners, and patients, and expand the Rose K brand to bring its benefits to many more keratoconus patients worldwide."
| Acuminder In-Office Introduced |
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| Vistakon has launched Acuminder In-Office, which provides eyecare professionals an opportunity to sign up patients for regular e-mail, text message or downloadable desktop widget reminders pertaining to when to change their contact lenses, purchase new lenses and schedule an eye exam. You can register your practice for the free service at www.acuminder.com/doctor. |
NKCF Announces New Corporate Sponsor
SynergEyes, Inc. has become a new corporate sponsor of the National Keratoconus Foundation (NKCF). SynergEyes' contribution of $15,000 will cover NKCF's fall newsletter.
NKCF is an outreach program of the nonprofit organization Discovery Eye Foundation that provides information and support to persons diagnosed with keratoconus. NKCF publishes a newsletter, distributes patient information booklets, provides physician referrals, helps start local support groups and maintains a Web site for patient information and discussion.
"SynergEyes is proud to be a sponsor of the Foundation's efforts to improve the quality of life for the thousands of people suffering with keratoconus," said Kellie Kaseburg, vice president of global marketing for SynergEyes. "SynergEyes supports the mission of the NKCF to improve the quality of life for those with keratoconus by making educational material available to them, their families and their eyecare professionals."
NKCF Director Catherine Warren states, "SynergEyes lenses meet the needs of many keratoconus patients. We welcome SynergEyes, Inc. as our newest sponsor."
For a copy of NKCF's fall newsletter, visit www.nkcf.org.
| INDUSTRY BRIEFS |
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| ■ Advanced Medical Optics has named Simon Kilvington, PhD, director of microbiology. Dr. Kilvington will be responsible for scientific and managerial leadership of AMO's microbiology activities in support of the discovery and development of new products for contact lens and corneal care. ■ The Gas Permeable Lens Institute now offers the patient brochure "Can you wear Contact Lenses if you're Over 40?" to help explain changes with our vision as we mature. Quantities up to 200 are complimentary from www.gpli.info. ■ Edward Lohmann, a 31-year veteran sales professional in the contact lens industry, passed away in mid-September. Ed began his career with Hydrocurve in 1977, then moved on to CooperVision, then to CIBA Vision in 1982. After leaving CIBA in late 2006, Ed joined Hydrogel Vision Corporation as the Western Area Sales Director. For those wishing to do something in Ed's memory, his family suggests making donations to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network at www.pancan.org or (877) 272-6226. ■ Alcon has entered into a licensing agreement with Glaxo-SmithKline for global ophthalmic rights to cilomilast, a phosphodiesterase IV inhibitor. The company has also expanded its existing drug research alliance with Origenis GmbH with a focus on the discovery and development of the small molecules that might one day have a role in the treatment of eye diseases. ■ Inspire Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has issued a method of treatment patent related to Elestat (epinastine HCl ophthalmic solution) 0.05% for allergic conjunctivitis. The U.S. Patent No. 7,429,602 titled "Treating Conjunctivitis by Administering an Epinastine Solution to the Conjunctiva," was issued to Boehringer Ingelheim International GmbH, the developer of the invention, and expires Nov. 29,2020. ■ Sirion Therapeutics has announced that Durezol (difluprednate ophthalmic emulsion) 0.05% is now commercially available. The company also released results from two Phase 3b studies showing that Durezol administered both b.i.d. and q.i.d. was significantly more effective than placebo in treating postoperative ocular inflammation and relieving ocular pain/discomfort. Results from another anterior uveitis trial indicate that Durezol dosed q.i.d. was as effective as Pred Forte dosed eight times per day in reducing inflammation. ■ The FDA has granted premarket approval of Advanced Medical Optics' Healon D viscoelastic, a clear dispersive ophthalmic viscosurgical device for use as a surgical aid in cataract extraction, intraocular lens implantation, corneal transplant and glaucoma filtration surgery. ■ Akorn, Inc. has received FDA approval of NDA 22-221 for Akten Ophthalmic Gel 3.5%, a topical ocular anesthetic formulation. Akorn reports that Akten is the first NDA ocular anesthetic approved by the FDA in four decades. The unit dose, preservative-free lidocaine gel product launched last month and is intended to be used in any ocular procedure that requires a topical anesthetic agent. |
Fellowship, Research Grant Recipients Chosen
Vistakon and the American Optometric Foundation (AOF), announced recipients of the Vistakon Ezell Fellowship program and AOF-Vistakon Research Grants.
The recipients of the Vistakon Ezell Fellowships are Joe Phillips, BS, University of Houston, College of Optometry and Lakshman Subbaraman, BSOptom, MS, FAAO, University of Waterloo College of Optometry, Canada.
These are competitive fellowships with the recipients selected by the AOF from more than 40 applicants.
The winners of the $25,000 AOF-Vistakon Research Grant for "The Role of the Post Lens Tear Film in Lipid Raft-mediated Pseudomonas Internalization," are Danielle M. Robertson, OD, PhD, and H. Dwight Cavanagh, MD, PhD.
Recipients of the $10,000 Award for "The Impact of Rub & No-Rub Care Products on Protein Removal and Localization," are Lyndon Jones, BSc, PhD, FCOptom, DipCLP, DipOrth, FAAO, and Doerte Luensmann, Dipl Ing.
These are highly competitive research awards with the awardees selected by the AOF from numerous qualified applicants.
| AOF and B&L Announce Ezell Fellows |
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| ■ The American Optometric Foundation (AOF) in conjunction with Bausch & Lomb have announced recipients of the 2008 – Bausch & Lomb William C. Ezell Fellowships. Two recipients were chosen from a pool of more than 40 based on their excellence in scholarship, research and teaching. The Fellowships are designed to encourage gifted post-graduate students to pursue full-time careers in optometric research and education. The 2008 recipients of the Bausch & Lomb Ezell Fellowship are: Jessica Mathew, OD – University of Houston, College of Optometry. The focus of her research is to advance the current knowledge of normal corneal stromal lamellar architecture and to understand what happens to its structural integrity in keratoconus. James Su, MEng – University of California, Berkeley. He is conducting experiments to elucidate the interplay between myopia, hyperopia and the mRNA expression levels of a class of proteolytic enzymes know as matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs). He also conducts biomaterials experiments working on the design and development of biomimetic hydrogels for high myopia. |
Cooper Names New Executive
CooperVision has named Dennis Murphy president of its Americas region. He comes to CooperVision with an extensive background in health care, medical devices and consumer products. Murphy will join CooperVision's commercial team, which is responsible for executing global strategies including the seamless integration of marketing, product development, manufacturing and sales across the organization.
Murphy previously served as president and chief executive officer of two early stage companies including dock3 and Carttronics LLC, which provide service-oriented solutions to large retail and industrial organizations, respectively. Prior to that, Murphy was chairman of the board for Medibuy – an e-commerce solutions provider – and also served as president of McKesson Health Systems based in San Francisco.
"As part of our commercial team, Dennis will help us support the mission, vision, and values of CooperVision," said John Weber, president, CooperVision. "This includes meeting the needs of our customers, shareholders, and employees — which is the cornerstone for our ongoing success."
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| Contamac Names Bear Global Account Executive |
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| Contamac recently announced the appointment of Jeanne A. Bear as Global Account Executive. Her new responsibilities in this role include key account sales, marketing and new business development, both in the United States and throughout designated global markets. Bear has been active in the international ophthalmic business for the last 20 years and has worked in global business since completing her graduate degree in international management. Her sales and business development experience includes key global positions with Menicon, SynergEyes, Paragon Vision Sciences and Pilkington Barnes Hind. She will also serve as president of the European Federation of the Contact Lens Industry (EFCLIN) for 2008-2009. |
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