NEWSspectrum

WHO-BHVI Hold Global Scientific Myopia Meeting

The World Health Organization (WHO) and Brien Holden Vision Institute (BHVI) held a joint Global Scientific Meeting on Myopia last month to discuss the rapidly rising prevalence and impact of myopia. They reported that it is now the leading cause of blindness in older people in Tajimi, Japan, and Shanghai. According to a 2015 BHVI report, an estimated 5 billion people will have myopia in 2050, with almost a billion having high myopia.

The meeting reviewed evidence on the epidemiology, etiology, vision consequences, pathology, social and economic impact, associated morbidity, and interventions that may be helpful in reducing the threat of myopia.

Dr. Serge Resnikoff, MD, PhD, former head of the WHO, said that a notable by-product of the meeting was a definition and description of the retinal condition that causes blindness with myopia. He says this will allow future surveys to record the number of people who have vision impairment and blindness from myopia.

International Keratoconus Academy Established

The International Keratoconus Academy of Eye Care Professionals (IKA) was recently established to promote ongoing professional education and scientific development in the area of keratoconus and other forms of corneal ectasia. Its mission is to promote and develop the knowledge base and awareness of the state of the art pertaining to the diagnosis and management of keratoconus and other forms of corneal ectasia. IKA was also formed to promote the awareness and understanding of the most appropriate and effective treatment strategies for managing these diseases.

IKA will provide an array of educational initiatives, including live events, web-based education, social media activities, and publications in the professional literature. It also will support ongoing clinical research. IKA will function as a complementary entity to other organizations that support patients who have these diseases, such as the National Keratoconus Foundation (NKCF).

The founding executive board of IKA includes S. Barry Eiden, OD, FAAO; Andrew Morgenstern, OD, FAAO; Timothy McMahon, OD, FAAO; Joseph Barr, OD, MS, FAAO; William Tullo, OD, FAAO; Clark Chang, OD, FAAO; Eric Donnenfeld, MD; and Yaron Rabinowitz, MD. An international physician’s advisory board comprised of expert optometrists and ophthalmologists is also being formed. Membership inquiries can be sent to info@keratoconusacademy.com.

GCLF Gains in Popularity at IVEE

The Global Contact Lens Forum (GCLF) took place at Vision Expo East in New York City on March 19, 2015. This was the third of an ongoing series of such “meetings within a meeting,” which take place at the Vision Expo conferences. With a 77% increase in attendance compared to last year, 260 attendees came to the GCLF to experience a platform that combined the latest scientific content with critical business strategies related to contact lenses. The content covered topics from profitability, disease, and technology to forecasting the future of the contact lens industry. Free to attendees, the forum was supported by a number of contact lens and pharmaceutical industry representatives including Alcon, Allergan, Bausch + Lomb, and Johnson & Johnson Vision Care. It was also endorsed by the British Contact Lens Association and the Contact Lens Society of America.

Some of the most highly respected leaders in the contact lens field shared their expertise while covering topics such as “The State of the Contact Lens Industry”; “Gas Permeable Lenses … Going, Going, Gone or Here to Stay?”; “Can Custom Soft CLs and Hybrid Lenses Thrive When Competing with Disposable Lenses?”; “The ‘Dollars and Sense’ of Contact Lens Practice” (a review of billing and coding in contact lens practice); and “How to Manage a Contact Lens Patient from Start to Finish.”

There was a two-hour breakout session in which one group conducted a panel debate on contact lenses in a primary care setting. The esteemed panel of experts, moderated by GCLF Co-Director S. Barry Eiden, OD, FAAO, debated topics such as establishing a contact lens specialty practice, bringing advanced technology into your practice, the role and future of daily disposable versus reusable lenses, and new approaches to myopia management with contact lens technologies.

The other breakout session was oriented toward non-OD contact lens fitters and reviewed “Contact Lens Challenges – Evaluation and Management Strategies” as presented by Michael A. Ward, MMSc, FAAO, FCLSA.

The feedback from attendees was overwhelmingly positive, and plans are already underway for the next GCLF to be held at Vision Expo West this coming September in Las Vegas.

The faculty of the GCLF was comprised of Louise Sclafani, OD, FAAO (co-director); S. Barry Eiden, OD, FAAO (co-director); Scot Morris, OD, FAAO; Robert Davis, OD, FAAO; Clarke Newman, OD, FAAO; and Michael Ward, MMSc, FAAO, FCLSA.

LensFerry Service Expanding

Following successful initial market testing, WebSystem3 recently announced that its LensFerry service is ready for more widespread use. It is now available to select optometry practices in New York and California. WebSystem3 plans to introduce the service to additional practices and geographic markets using a phased approach over the coming months.

LensFerry is a mobile commerce solution specifically developed for eyecare practitioners that allows patients to order contact lenses via a mobile device, tablet, or computer for direct shipment to their homes. As part of WebSystem3’s EyeCare Prime suite of services, LensFerry includes contact lenses from all manufacturers at eyecare professionals’ specified prices, and the prescribing practice receives the sales revenue as if the lenses had been ordered in-office.

All LensFerry communications are customized for each individual practice, incorporating the practice’s name and/or logo. Practitioners can send wearers custom-branded email and/or text reorder reminders via LensFerry. Wearers can also initiate the text-to-reorder feature, with their phone number serving as a unique identifier for shipping and revenue routing.

Actavis Completes Allergan Acquisition

Actavis plc has completed the acquisition of Allergan, Inc. in a cash and equity transaction valued at approximately $70.5 billion. According to Actavis, the combination creates one of the world’s top 10 pharmaceutical companies by sales revenue, with combined annual pro forma revenues of more than $23 billion anticipated in 2015.

Actavis continues to expect the transaction to generate double-digit accretion to non-GAAP earnings within the first 12 months, including approximately $1.8 billion in operating and financial synergies to be realized within one year following the close. These synergies exclude any additional revenue or manufacturing synergies and are in addition to the $475 million of annual savings previously announced by Allergan in connection with Project Endurance. Actavis further expects to generate strong operating cash flow in excess of $8 billion in 2016, which would enable the company to rapidly de-lever the balance sheet.

Actavis plc, headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, is a global pharmaceutical company with commercial operations in approximately 100 countries. The company is focused on developing, manufacturing, and commercializing innovative branded pharmaceuticals, high-quality generic and over-the-counter medicines, and biologic products for patients around the world.

Actavis intends to adopt a new global name—Allergan—pending shareholder approval in 2015. For more information, visit Actavis’ website at www.actavis.com.