product spectrum

Rollout of Silicone Hydrogel Toric Lens

CooperVision recently announced the national rollout of Avaira Toric silicone hydrogel lenses in the United States. Avaira Toric launched in June 2010, but the launch was restricted to a few thousand customers who had a fitting set.

Avaira Toric is designed to provide consistent performance in a broad range of astigmatic patients regardless of prescription, according to CooperVision. The company states that Avaira Toric offers exceptional stability, vision, and comfort from a unique lens design that combines a consistent horizontal thickness, an optimized ballast, naturally wettable material, low modulus, and high water content.

Avaira Toric is now available across the United States.

Avaira Toric is manufactured in enfilcon A material, which has a water content of 46 percent, Dk of 100, and Dk/t of 91. Parameters include sphere powers from plano to −6.00D, 8.5mm base curve, 14.5mm diameter, and cylinders of −0.75D, −1.25D, and −1.75D in axes from 10 degrees to 180 degrees in 10-degree steps. An expanded SKU range will be launching in the future. Call (800) 341-2020 or visit www.coopervision.com.

New Nutritional Formulations for AMD

ScienceBased Health has launched MacularProtect Complete Drink Mix and MacularProtect Omega-3 Companion to support those diagnosed with age-related macular degeneration (AMD). MacularProtect Complete Drink Mix is a mango lemonade flavored drink mix that provides a blend of ingredients from the company's MacularProtect Complete capsule formulation. Two scoops mixed with water daily delivers nutrients at levels found to reduce the risk of AMD and its associated vision loss in the Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS) plus a comprehensive multinutrient to protect the health of the whole body, according to the company. ScienceBased Health says it reduces the risk of receiving too much of certain nutrients (such as zinc) that can occur when patients combine a separate multivitamin with an AREDS-based formulation.

MacularProtect Omega-3 Companion is based on the ongoing AREDS 2 clinical trial. Two softgels daily include 1,000mg of highly pure fish oil—the first fish oil to achieve U.S. Pharmacopeia verification, according to the company. The formulation reflects the levels of EPA (650mg) and DHA (350mg) studied in AREDS 2 and zeaxanthin. It is intended to be combined with MacularProtect Complete. Call (888) 433-4726 or visit www.sciencebasedhealth.com.

New Allergy Medication Available

Allergan has launched Lastacaft (alcaftadine ophthalmic solution) 0.25%, which is indicated for the prevention of ocular itching due to allergic conjunctivitis. Allergan says that alcaftadine, the active ingredient in Lastacaft, is a completely new chemical entity with an affinity for H1—a histamine receptor in the early phase of allergic conjunctivitis.

Lastacaft is dosed once daily. The safety of Lastacaft was evaluated in three phase III double-masked, randomized vehicle (placebo)-controlled conjunctival allergen challenge trials of 274 patients and was shown to provide relief of ocular itching within three minutes in 97 percent of study participants (n=909). In addition, one drop prevented ocular itching through 16 hours in 87 percent of study participants.

Lastacaft is a new Once-Daily Drop for Allergy Sufferers.

Lastacaft is approved for use in pediatric patients over 2 years of age; it is also classified as category B for use in pregnant patients. Call (714) 246-4500 or visit www.lastacaft.com.

New Treatment for Blepharospasm

OcuSoft, Inc. announced that Zytaze is now available in pharmacies as a prescription-only supplement. In an early pilot study, Zytaze demonstrated marked enhancement of botulinum toxin injections in the treatment of blepharospasm, hemifacial spasm, or cosmetic procedures, according to OcuSoft. Formulated with a proprietary, patent-pending blend of highly bioavailable organic zinc and phytase, an enzyme that breaks down phytates and maximizes zinc absorption, Zytaze has been reported to extend duration of botulinum toxin treatments by almost 25 percent. Call (800) 233-5469 or visit www.zytaze.com.